


Redheaded Misadventures

by errihu



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Related, Canon-Typical Violence, Comedy, Dubious Consent, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Language Barrier, Pseudo-Korea, Romance, Sexual Violence, Slow Burn, Squabbling, Travelogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-05-27 20:33:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 93,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6299353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/errihu/pseuds/errihu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somehow, Gaara and Karin, of all people, end up stranded in a foreign empire far to the south of Wind Country. They must make their way back home, enduring bandits, foreign armies, pirates, clients, temperamental himes, and one another, all without killing each other. And once they return home, they must face the even bigger question of "now what?" (Mostly canon, complete)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Somehow, not dead?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, I'm back. Yeah, I know, it's not Those Whom The Gods Desire, but hey, it's words. After some truly horrific years I have started writing again. While I intend to get back into TWtGD forthright and forthwith, I thought I'd end my long hiatus from writing with this little monstrosity.
> 
> As far as crack pairings go, this one is not one that gets a lot of attention, with only a scant handful of drabbles having been devoted to it. So, of course, I had to throw a novel at it. Did I say novel? Yep! This story, which is already completed and which I have proofread and edited extensively for both errors and internal continuity (but lacks a beta... so if there's a volunteer in the crowd...), clocks in at over 90k words, divided into 14 lengthy chapters with a prologue and epilogue. This, here, is the prologue. It differs from the rest of the story in that it's third person single POV, whereas the rest of the story is third person omniscient POV, and of course for reasons of narrative effect, I don't name the person until the end of this chapter. Remember, boys and girls, I'm a Canadian, what you Americans think is a spelling error is likely nothing of the sort, so please don't post reviews claiming that I've spelled 'colour' wrong or am using nonexistent systems of measurement. If you find an actual mistake, I highly encourage you to post or message me (cite the chapter and passage in which it occurs so I can search, this is a huge fic) and I will fix it as promptly as I am able. If you happen to be Korean or familiar with feudal Korean society, I would love your feedback on any errors I've made. My sister-in-law is unfortunately not a Naruto fan.
> 
> The setting is a combination of canon, and stuff that I have placed within the theoretical Narutoverse. There are OCs for the purposes of world building, and to clarify and spur on the relationship between the main characters, who are both fairly canon. There won't be any torrid romances with mary sues in this fic. This is also a slightly different take on both Gaara and Karin, where Gaara is not quite as zen as he becomes in canon, and some harsh life lessons have forced Karin to change as well. I've tried to keep the emotions and reactions of both characters realistic, as well as the other characters in the story. The story is a combination of action/adventure, slice-of-life, romance, and comedy.
> 
> As with almost all my fics, this fic has graphic violence and very explicit sexual content (starting around chapter 9). This whole fic is VERY M, if you are not someone who wants to be exposed to graphic violence and very explicit sexual content, you might not want to read this, and you'll definitely want to heed the chapter warnings. There's plenty of violence throughout, and Chapter 9 has a much higher lemon to text ratio than I usually write, with more lemons in the chapters after. So, if you are under the legal age of majority in your country, please don't read this fic. Seriously, it will still be here once you get old enough.
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy my little slice of brain-vomit. Have fun reading. I had fun writing. Look for a once-a-week publishing schedule, usually around the weekend to give the story a chance to reach those who would actually want to read it. (Cross post from ff.net)

* * *

Prologue – Somehow, not dead?

* * *

She sat in the dank cell, wondering when the interrogator would come next. Her wounds had been healed just enough to ensure that she'd survive, but not enough to stop them from hurting while time did what healers didn't. The pain would only help the interrogator, after all. That or the painkilling drugs they occasionally gave her, which also had the effect of messing with her head and loosening her tongue more than she liked.

At the start of the mission, ending up in a Konoha dungeon was not on the list of things she'd expected to experience. But then again, neither was her teammate _trying_ to kill her; and _succeeding_ in abandoning her. Not after what they'd shared in the time just before the attack. And then to order that bitch to prove _her_ loyalty by finishing what he'd started. Betrayed _and_ replaced, all in a handful of minutes. Her memories of what came after that were decidedly fuzzy. She remembered being handed over to Morino Ibiki, though. She would _never_ forget _that_.

And from there? Pain, drugs, questioning, torture, and imprisonment in this dank cell. At least there was nothing permanently disfiguring or that wouldn't heal in time. All the questions had been about her teams and the people she worked for. And there were the painful questions about her former lover.

Once, she'd been a subordinate of the most powerful shinobi of his generation, and she'd been happy in that role. She'd been fanatically devoted to him, to the point of killing any who spoke ill of him. When he died, she transferred that loyalty to her new team leader. And then he had stabbed her, just to get at another enemy, and discarded her like so much trash.

Compared to the emotional aftermath of that, the physical pain was nothing, at least for the first little while. She had been reduced to merely an obstacle, a thing; to the man she thought she loved more than anything else in the world. To know that the one she adored, who she had followed to the ends of the earth and with whom she had shared her body, could betray her so completely, sucked. What sucked more was that he got her before she could get him.

Sitting in this dungeon provided a lot of time to think, really. More time than she'd ever had in her life for introspection. She couldn't rightly _say_ just how much time had passed, but there was a lot of it. Days blurred into weeks, into what she thought had to be months. At some point, she broke. She wasn't exactly sure when. She ended up telling Ibiki what he wanted to know. Well, most of it anyway. A little corner of her that remained intact thrilled at the minor victory of being able to hold _anything_ back.

And then, they left her. They let her sit in that cell, for hells only know how long. She really had no conception of the passage of time. She'd lost track of the time a while ago, when she was frequently delirious from torture, drugs, or both. She hadn't seen another live human being in what she thought had to be weeks. New food came and empty dishes vanished in her sleep. She was permitted to sleep, though the occasional flickering spells suffered by the single fluorescent tube outside the bars of her cell often interfered with that. There was no natural light, and no other people in the cells around her. No guards anymore, either. Why bother? The cell suppressed chakra and it did its job well. They were all too busy dealing with something else.

If she thought she'd broken before, she knew better now. Now that they had what they wanted from her, it seemed they were just going to forget about her. She started to wonder exactly what went wrong, and what would happen from here, and what was happening on the outside, since she could no longer listen in on the guards gossiping. Surely Konoha would never free her. Her choices had been to talk, or die. She'd talked. Now it seemed she was to be forgotten.

Despite her strength, despite doing all the things that should have brought her to the top, she had ended up here. She had been abandoned by her teammates and left for dead. She had been questioned and left in pain and imprisoned.

Then one day, that bitch came to her cell. The pink-haired girl had stood at the bars, staring silently at the other girl. She had glared back. She remembered the unwanted sympathy she'd felt when the other girl had cried. Red eyes met green eyes, and she wondered now if she should have wasted that sympathy. She felt a stab of hatred for the other girl.

"Come to the bars. Let me heal you," Sakura said. "As far back in the cell as you are right now, I can't get the chakra to you before the walls absorb it, and the chakra flow only goes one way through the bars."

She'd blinked, staring at the pink-head in astonishment. The medic girl's tone hadn't been contemptuous like she'd expected, and like her own would be if she stood in Sakura's place. It hadn't even been filled with pity, which would have been worse. Sakura spoke with simple human compassion. Still, her mouth twisted into a frown and she shot the other girl a suspicious look.

"Let me guess, so Ibiki can break some bones and start the pain all over again?" she snapped her reply.

"No. Because it's the right thing to do. Ibiki won't be coming. Tsunade-shishō said—," Sakura broke off suddenly, as though realizing that she was about to say something to a prisoner that a prisoner maybe shouldn't know. "Never mind that. Come here, I'll heal you." So. Tsunade was in charge again, huh? Things had changed up there.

She stood, reluctantly, from her little bench/bed and went to the bars of the cell. Sakura moved closer to her. Green chakra welled from the medic-nin's hands, and she relaxed as the healing began to take hold, righting the little things that had never really healed right on their own. Her captors had ensured she did not get infections, but they hadn't really cared much about anything else.

She sighed in relief, just relishing the feeling of being healed, of being almost whole again. Then the nagging question that had been burning in her mind just had to escape.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Because…" Sakura's voice had a quaver in it. She looked up, slightly surprised, and saw unshed tears in the green eyes of the other girl. Why would Sakura be crying, over _her_? "Because, he hurt you too."

There was no need to ask who _he_ was. She only had to look into those foggy green eyes to know that Sakura loved him just as much as _she_ herself had. _Had_. He'd succeeded in that much – he might not have killed _her_ , but he'd killed any love she might have had for him with that strike.

Again, that unwanted sympathy rose in her. She accepted the healing and silently resented Sakura for it.

"Do you know what's going to happen to me?" she asked bluntly, after Sakura had finished.

"No," Sakura said, the lie gleaming in her eyes. She knew; she just didn't want to say it – the captive could see that much. Who wanted to be the one to tell someone they were going to be killed, or even just imprisoned forever? Then she left, leaving the prisoner once more in silence.

After that, she spent days alone. She sank deeper into a funk, depressed for the first time in her life. The solitude and the uncertainty about her future hooked claws deep into her, settling into her and keeping her constant companion in the loneliness of her cell.

She sometimes thought about what she would do if they released her, or if she escaped by some miracle. She knew better than to expect a rescue. If anyone came for her, it would be an assassin. Her old team and organization wanted her dead… Well, she couldn't go back to _them_. Anywhere she went she'd be a missing nin. And she was smart enough to realize that while she was a talented shinobi, she wasn't strong enough to make it on her own, without a team or a village for support. She'd have never gotten into her former organization without her team leader. It burned inside to admit it, but it was the truth.

Would she spend the rests of her life running from hunter squads and doing degrading jobs for anyone with some ryo? Would she be forced to work for employers who would attempt to use her body as well as her shinobi skills? Being a lone criminal kunoichi was honestly not the greatest game plan, and the idea of being forced to do unpleasant jobs and to spread her legs just to scrape by was repugnant. She really didn't know what her options were from this point.

Then, that golden-haired motherfucking ray of sunshine came to her cell to chat with her. At first, she'd been determined to hate him, to cut him with her tongue, and drive him away. She didn't need more sympathy and she sure as hell didn't need saved. But he had only smiled at her, those incredible blue eyes guileless as a child's, and proceeded to chatter at her.

He wanted to know about _him_. Everything about _him_ , from the time she met him right up until he had stabbed through her to kill their enemy. At first she didn't want to talk about it. But no one could resist Konoha's golden boy for long. He was as effective as Ibiki in his own way. Despite her intentions, she found herself warming to him, if at first it was only because he was the only living thing she had access to. She remembered the calming warmth of his amazing chakra, and found herself smiling at him once or twice. And he came back, day after day, once he knew she was there. Sometimes he brought the pink-haired girl, and sometimes that weird, emotionless ink boy would come with him, but he came whenever he wasn't on a mission, and when he didn't, his kunoichi teammate often did.

This kid… she could understand why it was people were so devoted to him, she decided. Sure, he was not the brightest bulb in the pack, and he was more than a little naïve, but he had some kind of amazing charm about him. It worked its magic even on her, and she had been determined to stay closed off. But the torture, solitude of the cell, her prolonged imprisonment, and the doubt for her future had formed cracks in her shell and that boy's sunshine levered those open and exposed her to his blinding light.

She never lost her sarcastic edge – her only defence against the world – but she found herself respecting, and even liking the yellow-haired ninja. Well, she respected his strength and his capacity to care for people, even someone like herself. She sure didn't respect his brains. For the first time in her life, she formed a good opinion of another person based on something other than brute strength and lack of mercy.

She discovered that she truly believed in him, and believed in his claims. She was convinced by him. She knew without a doubt that not only would Naruto become Hokage, but he would be the greatest Hokage Konoha had ever known. And if anyone could bring Sasuke to heel, it would be this golden boy, who had such amazing love in his heart, despite being a shinobi.

And Sakura… in the other girl, she found someone she could also respect. The pink-haired girl became something like a friend, someone who appeared to genuinely care for her for her, rather than for her powers or who she was connected to. True, the initial connection had been because of Sasuke, but it had changed since then. Now there was some affection between the two young women. And she appreciated it.

And then the day came when Sakura came down with a guard, carrying some kind of paired bracelets.

"Put these on," said the pink-haired girl, pushing the bracelets through the bars. She eyed them doubtfully.

"What are these?" she asked. They looked pretty plain; just a pair of silver bracelets with binding phrases written inside them. They did _something_ , besides look pretty. She was sure.

"They suppress chakra. Put them on and you can come with me to the baths," Sakura said.

She just about fell over. Baths! She couldn't get the bracelets on fast enough. Smirking, the guard unlocked her cell.

"Don't try anything," he said.

"Don't fucking worry. Did you say something about baths?" she retorted, looking to Sakura, who was smiling. Damned if she was going to blow her chances at seeing sunlight and breathing fresh air and _taking a bath, oh Kami, a bath_. Wash clothes, tap water, and bar soap just didn't cut it forever.

"Yeah. You might want this, you've been down here a while," Sakura handed her a pair of dark glasses, designed to fit over her own spectacles. She accepted them, and it turned out to be a good choice. Sakura led her out of the dungeons, up several flights of stairs and down hallways, and finally out into a dark, overcast day. An unknown time spent in the darkness of a dungeon lit with fluorescent light had not prepared her even for this, and she gladly donned the shades.

"How long was I down there?" she asked.

Sakura winced, and looked apologetic. "Six months," The other girl said.

She merely nodded, reconciling this knowledge with her internal best guess. She had thought it might be five months. It was actually six. She wondered how much the world had changed in that time. She had overheard enough gossip from her guards to know that the shinobi world had experienced some _seriously fucked up changes_ , but knew none of the details.

"What happens now?" she asked. Her situation had clearly changed, but she wasn't entirely sure how or why.

"Bath first," Sakura replied. Ok, she could agree to that.

At the baths, she stared at the girl in the mirror with shock, barely recognizing her. She'd lost weight in the cell, and muscle tone, despite the daily exercises she'd started the moment she was able to move freely without too much pain. And she was filthy. Yes, she did indeed need prolonged contact with water. And soap. That she could have got to this state disgusted her.

She took up a position near the drain and washed herself. It took four washes and much gentleness with the tangled red mess to get her hair _clean_ , and each shampooing carried away dark water and lots of shed hair. She decided that she could _love_ Sakura for this, and the loofah the other girl provided cemented the deal. Strawberry might not be her first choice for soap scents, but hell, it was better than rough lye soap and she wasn't going to complain. Not right now. Maybe later, if she ever was in a secure position.

It was the longest bath she'd ever taken in her life, and hells, she needed it. Afterwards, she discovered that the filthy outfit that she'd been captured in and allowed to wear in the cell had gone missing, and been replaced with clean clothes. They were fairly plain and hardly her style, but they covered up all her scars.

"What happens now?" she asked again, after she had dressed and styled her hair. It was the first time in six months that she had the opportunity to do her hair the way she liked it.

"Tsunade-shishō wants to see you," Sakura said.

She felt a flutter of anticipation. This could be either very good or very bad. Either way, it was further proof that her situation had clearly changed. She knew damn well she was on thin ice here, and for once in her life, she was going to _try_ to watch her mouth. She kind of wanted to come out of this alive. This could just be the last dignities permitted to someone about to be executed. But then, where was the last meal? She wanted some okonomiyaki, if that was the case.

Sakura led her back the way they came, to the tall tower from the depths of which she had emerged to the cloudy day. However, instead of going down, they went up. The two guards outside the Hokage's door barely acknowledged her existence, except for one who stood there with a _senbon_ in his mouth of all things, who winked flirtatiously at her. That simple gesture shook her more than she expected. Who winks at the condemned?

Inside the large room was a desk covered in papers, a pig, and three people. One was clearly Tsunade, the last living sannin. She also recognized the black-haired functionary that was known to accompany Tsunade wherever she went, though she couldn't recall the woman's name at the moment. And, unexpectedly, there was Naruto. Why Naruto would be there, she did not know.

"So," Tsunade said, as she followed Sakura and stood in front of the desk. She stood in silence, waiting for the Hokage to continue. Last she'd heard, Tsunade had been badly wounded and forced out of the Hokage seat – clearly the old woman had healed and resumed her position, somehow. But she could still see the lines of exhaustion that the youth jutsu couldn't quite hide. Tsunade was tired. She wondered idly if the old woman was going to give up the hat soon, and to whom.

"So," Tsunade said again. Despite her age (or maybe because of the famous jutsu), her voice was firm and strong. "It looks like I'm going to have to decide just what to do with you." It honestly didn't sound like Tsunade was relishing the task. In fact, it sounded like she considered it a chore, a bother. The prisoner kept her face stiff, emotionless, and stifled the urge to grind her teeth. That was insulting, but then again, what should she expect?

"There's been several calls to extradite you to various villages for justice. The council wants to execute you," Tsunade said. Her ears pricked, and the gears in her head turned at that. The sannin had not said 'I' in any of this. So Tsunade herself didn't want to extradite her or execute her. Despite the bad news the old woman's words implied, this could still work for her.

Somewhere behind her, Naruto was shifting where he stood. She was vaguely surprised he hadn't burst out and said whatever was on his mind. He clearly wanted to.

She kept silent. Now was not the time.

"It's probably worthless to ask you what _you_ want. You want to live, of course. Everyone does," Tsunade continued her monologue. Yeah, she wanted to live. She resisted the urge to flick a glance back at Naruto. Tsunade had clearly noticed her involuntary movement. Her plump, youthful lips curled into a smug smile.

"Morino-san has given me his reports on you. I know you've still got more information for us. I know there's stuff about Sasuke and Akatsuki you've managed to keep back, but that's not relevant anymore. You might still have information about Orochimaru that could be valuable."

She felt her face twitch. More interrogation? Seriously? Urrrrrgh! This time it would probably be even worse, if Ibiki thought she'd been holding back. Had the last few months of relative peace been merely a chance to let her regain her energy for the real thing? And, what the _hell_ had changed on the surface, where her former lover and team wasn't relevant anymore… but a dead man _was_?

Tsunade clearly noted her enthusiasm for the idea. The sannin smiled, and the hard cast of her eyes didn't make it a very reassuring smile.

"There _are_ alternatives to torture and execution, believe it or not. If you're willing to cooperate with Konoha, we might be willing to cut you a deal," Tsunade was still smiling.

A deal? What sort of deal. She eyed the sannin doubtfully. Major villages like Konoha didn't cut deals with S-ranked criminals, especially ones they already had in their power. She was just a page on a bingo book, or a bounty to some aspiring hunter-nin. Imprisonment, interrogation, torture and execution were to be expected. Deals were not.

"What _sort_ of deal?" she snapped hesitantly, curious despite herself.

"Swear loyalty to Konoha. Tell us everything you know," Tsunade stated.

She stared at the old woman in incredulity. Swear _loyalty_? To _Konoha_? Dear Kami, was Tsunade _serious_?

"What the hells would _I_ get from _that_?" she demanded, unable to censor her demeanour.

"Well, for one, you'd live," Tsunade replied.

"Besides that?" Good gods, why the hell would she do a thing like that? This was _Konoha_. _She_ knew what this damn village had done to Sasuke's family, even if the rest of the world didn't.

"You'd get the protection of the village. Status, rank, work. No more running," Tsunade said. "Or did you expect to be able to go back to Akatsuki?"

She evaded the tawny brown eyes of the Hokage. She knew Akatsuki wouldn't hesitate to kill her. But damned if she was going to say it.

"The protection of _Konoha_ , huh? Like this village protected the Uchiha clan?" she sniped. She might not love Sasuke anymore; in fact, she hated his guts now; but what had been done to his family was inexcusable. And by their own village, too.

Tsunade's face hardened at that. "That was the past. Things are different now."

Again, she resisted the urge to look back at Naruto. She knew one thing was sure, with him in the hot seat, she might have a chance. Naruto was a good person, soft-hearted and easy to manipulate. Tsunade, she didn't know, but from what she'd heard, Tsunade was not in Danzō's camp at _all_ , and she'd had nothing to do with the Uchiha slaughter. The old sannin was said to be pretty fair, even if she was horrifically strong and a gambler of legendary reputation. She considered this. She could probably tolerate Tsunade. She could definitely tolerate Naruto.

"What's the catch?" she finally asked. There had to be one. Information and an oath of loyalty was _not_ enough to redeem someone like her.

Tsunade smirked. "Well, naturally, there'll be a probationary period. We feel three years should be sufficient for us to decide what kind of a shinobi you could be for Konoha."

Probation. Oh joy. She would no doubt learn what humiliations _that_ entailed. "What else?" she demanded.

"We'd have to take steps to ensure your loyalty, naturally. There would be a curse seal. If you left the village, any Konoha hunter-nin or Anbu would be able to execute you," Tsunade said.

Well, there went the plan of agreeing and running at the first opportunity. Some deal. Oh well. She considered her options. Agreeing would lead to several years of humiliation and the loss of her ability to decide for herself what she wanted to do and who she wanted to follow. Disagreeing would lead to any number of different ways to die, and/or indefinite imprisonment. She wasn't ok with either option, but honestly, living beat dying. After three years, if she managed to toe the line and behave herself, maybe they'd remove the curse seal. Then nothing would hold her back.

"Why are you even giving me this choice? I know it's not just for the information you think I have," she stated bluntly.

Tsunade smiled and sighed. "You have the gaki to thank for that. He was pretty upset when he found out what the council wanted to do to you." The Hokage gave Naruto a meaningful look. She actually turned her head to look at the blonde, who was smiling and grinning with a slightly embarrassed blush. So Naruto had stepped in, huh? And somehow, he had managed to introduce the idea of sparing her life as a viable solution. The boy really was a wonder worker.

"Of course," Tsunade continued, "I still don't know how he found _out_." The sannin gave Sakura a pointed glance, and the pink-haired girl gave a weak smile. So Sakura was in on this too, huh? She shouldn't really be surprised.

"Alright, I'll do it," she said, making her decision. Tsunade smiled. "But," she continued, noting with a little stab of glee the sannin's suddenly darkening expression at her interjection, "I'm not swearing loyalty to Konoha."

Tsunade opened her mouth to say something, but the prisoner continued speaking before the sannin could. "I'll swear to the Hokage instead," she turned her head slightly, meaningfully, and looked at Naruto briefly out of the corner of her eyes. Then she looked back at Tsunade.

The old hime was giving her a speculative look. "To the _Hokage_?" Tsunade asked, voice light. Her eyes slid briefly to Naruto, as well. "I think I can accept that."

It had been a gamble, but that interaction told her clearly who was in line for the hat next. Naruto would be a Kage soon enough. She had decided she could live with an oath of loyalty to him. If there was anyone in this Kami-damned village worth throwing in with, it was him. He had power, he was kind-hearted, and he was a complete and utter pushover.

The process of receiving the curse seal was nothing less than an ordeal. The Anbu who tattooed her tongue with the seal demonstrated the five hand signs that would instantly kill her before he inked her, with a noticeable enthusiasm. She moved her tongue gingerly afterwards, hating the nasty aftertaste of the ink and feeling slightly resentful that she wouldn't be able to manage much more than soup for a day or two until it healed. Now that she was kind of free, she wanted to eat something other than the nutritious but boring prison food. And she wanted to be able to complain about it if she wanted to, damn it! She wouldn't be doing much talking until that tongue healed either.

She'd been released, perhaps unsurprisingly, into the care of Naruto and Sakura, after she gave her oath, and received the hitai-ate. She held the cloth and metal garment in her hands for several long minutes, just looking at it. She'd never really held allegiance to a village, despite being born to one she barely remembered, becoming a refugee to Kusa, and joining Ota. She had an odd feeling of foreboding when she tied it around her head.

Somehow, Karin had become probationary Konoha nin. Who knew what would happen from here, when the world had already gone crazy.


	2. Chapter 1 - Is it just me, or is it a little redheaded in here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, here is chapter 1. Some of my old readers are starting to come out of the woodwork from the other site ringing their bells with the fact that this author, who has been silent for nearly 5 years, posted something at long last.
> 
> A beta reader has emerged, user 93d1c5, offering to give my prose the once-over before I submit it to you. I am attempting to keep to a Thursday night or Friday posting schedule, as this seems to provide the greatest exposure to the English-speaking audience. Naruto is a very fast subcategory and a fic will get flooded off the page by the incessant high-school AUs and Mary Sues in no time. I'm hoping to stick with a weekly posting schedule, but given the length of these chapters, it might have to go to biweekly just to give my poor beta a chance to do their volunteer job.
> 
> Oh yes, and I haven't forgot Those Whom The Gods Desire. I'm currently in the process of rereading it and doing some edits on the version here - fixing up the punctuation from back when I didn't know how to punctuate dialogue correctly and fixing the occasional mistake. Here and there I've added a word or two for clarification or strengthening the idea I had in mind when writing something. The story itself is unchanged. I should be starting on new material shortly - I have never lost the idea I had for the whole story, it's all up here, don't worry - and will need to complete a significant portion of that and of course edit and proofread before I can start posting again. Both of my darling betas for TWtGD have vanished into the mists (I really can't blame them), so my first few posts might be lacking in the cold-eye-review department.
> 
> In the meantime, please enjoy my latest pail of literary slop. Wheeeee!

Chapter 1 – Is it just me, or is it a little redheaded in here?

* * *

Another year, another chūnin exam, another after-party. Tsunade had begun this tradition, and in the six or so years since it had started it had been continued religiously every time the exams were in Leaf. Kage, jōnin, and dignitaries from several countries mingled; talking, eating, gloating over their successes, or commiserating over their failures. Sound swelled cheerfully through the party space as shinobi conversed. Bodies circulated, drinks or plates of tidbits in hand, as people wandered around. More than a few coins and bills changed hands subtly - wagers being paid out. Since Tsunade retired, betting on the results of the chūnin exam finals was discouraged in order to prevent gambling from interfering with matches, but that honestly never stopped the wagering.

Konohagakure no Sato hosted once more; unsurprisingly the majority of hitai-ate bore the Leaf spiral. Also unsurprisingly, there were a large number of Sunagakure no Soto hourglass hitai-ate about, on account of the alliance. There were a few contingents of shinobi from the other great villages, mingling throughout the pavilion. In lesser numbers, symbols from the smaller villages reflected back the cheery coloured lights of the paper lanterns strung about the pavilion and elegant garden park where the festivities were being held. While the lesser villages had neither the special relationship of Leaf and Sand nor the numbers of the great villages, they were nevertheless well represented tonight.

Karin was feeling somewhat pissed off; that was always the case whenever she was dragged out to these stupid social events. She often got her way when it came to avoiding attendance, but this time she'd lost and had to go. She hated the damn things. There were a few people left who remembered where her origins lay, and there had been a few calls for her extradition back to Kusa for 'justice' over the more than three years since Konoha had taken her prisoner. She'd won provisional immunity from prosecution for being a missing-nin by becoming a Konoha probationer.

There was a cost, naturally, but Karin had decided that all things considered, it was worth it. What she hadn't expected when she'd agreed to the proposition was that she would come to actually _like_ the place. She particularly liked the two who had been instrumental in getting her life spared. That affection did not extend to an enjoyment of being hauled out and paraded around like a show dog on a leash, however, which was why she was feeling more than a little cranky tonight and quite less than social.

Karin had just two months left. After two months, she would be meeting again with the Hokage and the Konoha Council to discuss whether or not they deemed her fit to become a Leaf ninja in truth, with all the rights, privileges, and freedoms that entailed. She'd been on her best behaviour the last few months, determined to win her place as a legitimate jōnin in the village, and to finally buy her freedom. (What she would do from _there_ , she still hadn't decided.) It had been bloody difficult for the acerbic 20 year old. She had been collecting scattered glares and dirty looks from the people who had recalled her involvement with Akatsuki (brief as it had been) all evening without the chance of any payback or reprieve. Being forced to attend this occasion was sorely testing her self control. She'd even lost all interest in flirting, she was that miffed. Only her loyalty to the one who had saved her from execution was keeping her here.

The person who had forced the red-headed spitfire out of her cramped little apartment and out into the public eye was currently smiling and chatting amiably with the Kazekage's second-in-command, the indomitable Temari. He'd managed to get the hat off and stashed away somewhere, exposing his shaggy bright blond locks to the open air. He still wore the robes of state, however, white with bright orange and black flames edging the bottoms and cuffs.

Like Naruto would ever ditch the orange. Becoming Hokage hadn't dissuaded his colour choices in the _least_. It had been an argument with the council, who had been totally scandalized by his suggestion to change the colours. In the end, Naruto had won anyway, as per usual. Naruto rarely lost at _anything_.

After the nightmarish events of the Fourth Shinobi World War and the Madara/Kaguya crisis, the Hokage hat had undergone a rapid game of hot potato. Kakashi - forced into the position - had hunted down a recovered Tsunade as soon as he could and forced her back into the seat, where she had been when Karin was freed. Tsunade remained in the position only as long as she had to. As soon as the Hero of Konoha was ready (or _close enough_ ), she'd stuffed the duty on Naruto. It was right around the time Karin's hated bracelets came off, actually, though the house arrest stayed in effect for months after that. As Hokage, he had inherited her declaration of fealty, and inherited her as 'his problem'. And Naruto was freely able to admit that the feisty woman was occasionally just that. He hadn't been anything more than a genin when he had appealed for mercy. Soft-hearted as he was, he couldn't bear to see one of his friends die, and she'd become a friend for more than just her former connection to Sasuke. Tsunade had been only too happy to pass responsibility for Karin to him when she relinquished the robes and hat.

But the gold-haired, sky-eyed Hokage wasn't thinking about Karin right now. He was too busy enjoying an animated discussion about the exam's top fights (complete with hand-gesture replays of the best parts) with Temari. The other blonde was equally animated. It had been a good exam for both Suna and Konoha. Leaf promoted three out of nine genin, and Sand saw two out of six rise to the rank of chūnin this time around. No one had died, either.

"It was pretty much the only choice Hideo-kun had at that point. If he hadn't used that jutsu when he had, he would have lost the fight," Temari remarked.

"Still, he's more than deserving of the rank, you have to admit. He was outmatched. The fact that he was able to pull a victory out of his ass surely says something about his eligibility for the promotion," Naruto insisted. Temari didn't even blink at his phrasing, although a few nearby heads turned to look at Naruto curiously. Naruto studiously ignored them. He was the motherfucking Hokage, he could say what he wanted; believe it!

"I never said he didn't deserve it. I said he would have lost if he hadn't done what he did. He damn well deserves chūnin; the boy fought well and won against poor odds. I lost money on that one," Temari said. Naruto gave her a brief disapproving look at the admission. Temari fluttered her lashes innocently, knowing full well her friend wasn't going to make an issue of her unauthorized gambling.

Naruto sighed, feeling slightly uncomfortable. He really should say something about that wager, but she was the sister of one of his best friends, who happened also to be the Kazekage of Suna. Besides, he was pretty sure that Shikamaru had come away from watching that fight a slightly richer man than he'd went into it. She should know better than to bet against her fiancé by now. Plus, neither Shikamaru nor Temari would be interfering with the exams over their wager.

"I haven't seen Gaara yet," Naruto said, changing the subject suddenly. He didn't really want to stray into a discussion/argument about gambling at the exams. "He's coming tonight, right?"

"Of course, he's already here somewhere," Temari answered blithely. "I'd swat him over the head with my fan if he didn't come." She was one of a handful of people in the world who might do something like that without dying. This hadn't always been the case, but in the seven years since the ill-fated exam that had Suna and Oto launching a failed attack on Konoha, Gaara's relationship with his siblings had improved to the point where he would not answer a rebuking strike from his older sister with instant death by Sabaku Sōsō.

In actuality, Gaara would probably just glower at her and walk away. Naruto had seen exactly this scenario play out. Twice. The fact that Gaara hadn't tried to kill the other Jinchūriki just for _witnessing_ that was a testament to both the depth of their friendship and Gaara's civilizing process.

Gaara had mellowed over the years, but he was still... somewhat volatile.

The Kazekage in question was indeed at the party. Like his Hokage counterpart, he had also found a place to lose the hated hat despite keeping the robes on. He'd also kept his gourd on. Gaara felt naked without the gourd, even in friendly territory. Between his gourd, reputation, and absent-minded frown, his personal space stayed relatively free of unwanted interruption. He was at the party, but damned if he was going to be more social than he had to be.

Unfortunately, at the moment, a determined Ame ranker was attempting to make small talk with him in the garden. "The fight between Fumi-chan and Minoru-kun was impressive, was it not, Kazekage-sama?" The nin asked, clearly inviting conversation.

Gaara grunted noncommittally, staring ahead at nothing.

"You must be very proud of the young lady. Minoru was accounted as something of a prodigy of Kusa, yet she defeated him quite soundly."

Gaara grunted again, feeling impatient, and flicked his eyes to the other nin. The man flinched slightly. The red-headed former Jinchūriki was feeling a little preoccupied tonight. Shortly after the final fight, he'd received a messenger bird from Baki discussing an urgent situation that had come up with the aquifer at home in Sunagakure. Since water was Suna's life, he was rather eager to get home and solve the problem. Damn these social occasions. Damn them straight to the hells.

"All are saying that she deserves the promotion. She will undoubtedly make an excellent chūnin," the man said.

"Yes," Gaara finally replied, curtly, more to shut the other up than out of any real desire to acknowledge the genin-now-chūnin. "Fumi-chan fought well. Now if you will excuse me...?" he glared at the man, who blanched and sidestepped. Gaara made his way back inside the pavilion without any expression or sound. He'd done his duty by showing up. Damned if he'd cheerfully make small talk about the outcomes of fights that were already over and already decided, when his people could be in trouble. Most people usually left him alone as it was - it was just a few idiots who were apparently immune to the deadly reputation of Sabaku no Gaara that felt the oddly pressing need to blather on at him.

He threaded his way through the crowd – or rather, he walked and the crowd parted for him, for the most part. Nothing too obvious like people actively trying to get out of his way, but there was a certain amount of ... respect for his personal space. The hard cast to his eyes beneath the hairless brows and the slight perturbed frown on his face had a lot to do with that. People just didn't want to be near Gaara when he was in a mood.

At the same time, Karin's growling stomach finally convinced her to abandon her out-of-the way corner and its large potted plant. The thing hardly offered enough cover anyway. Oh well. Naruto had forced her to come out to this damn party; perhaps she should do her duty and be visible for a few minutes rather than trying half-assedly to hide behind the plant and sulk. Naruto wanted her to show the rest of the shinobi world what a good little probationer she was. Seeing her act like a normal person was supposed to help allay any fears their allies might have that she was anything less than fully well adjusted and rehabilitated.

Well adjusted, her rosy ass. Karin was fucked up and she damn well knew it. She just didn't give a fuck. The only things she cared about was doing right by Naruto and getting her freedom, and maybe catching Sasuke some day and extracting a little revenge from his damned Uchiha hide. That might be nice. She'd washed her hands of that prick long ago, but there was a part of her that would just love to drag him home to Konoha for justice. Unfortunately, she knew that Naruto would probably find some way to 'rehabilitate' even the Uchiha, the big softy. After all, Naruto had insisted on salvaging _her_ , and she wasn't his beloved former teammate, merely _peripherally connected_ to his beloved former teammate.

Also converging on the buffet table was the only other distinctive redhead, his gourd barely bobbing as he glided across the floor with his usual grace. He was thinking that a bite to eat would not be amiss right now. There were a few other shinobi at the table, enough that he had to join a line. Right in front of him was the Konoha probationer, a nin he knew of though discussions with Naruto, but didn't exactly know personally. He ignored her. She ignored him, though she was well aware of his presence. It was hard not to be, with the way the crowd parted around him like that. She'd be a fucking bad shinobi if she wasn't at least somewhat aware of a power like Gaara standing two feet from her.

No one lined up behind Gaara. Maybe they were waiting until he'd filled his plate and left the food. He gazed over the buffet table. The first things he spotted were gelled bean paste treats. He had no interest in those. In fact, he loathed them. But if he knew Naruto, who knew Gaara well, somewhere on this table would be a confit made with salted tongue. Ah, there it was. He licked his lips in anticipation.

No one really noticed when the youth slipped into the pavilion – he was just another genin coming to speak with his sensei, kids like him had been coming and going all night. The youngster, one of the genin who had fought and won yet had been deemed unready for the rank of chūnin just yet, had begged entry from the guards. Thinking nothing of it, the guards had let him in. The pale-haired teen slipped through the crowd, disregarded by the shinobi who mingled cheerfully. Glancing around, he spotted his intended target at the buffet table. The tiebreaker, the last to vote; the vote upon which his promotion had hinged. Insides firing with anticipation, he wove through the crowd.

Gaara's eyes were on the salt tongue. He wasn't paying much attention to the crowd at the moment; he was in allied territory and someone would have to be a suicidal idiot to want to attack him, especially here. So he paid no mind to the 13-year old genin who walked purposefully behind him. The boy's shove came as a complete surprise, though the sand still sheeted up to cushion him. Gaara stumbled a step forward at the unexpected force, pushing against the probationer. At that impact, Karin also took an inadvertent step and put her hand out to steady herself, right into the salmon mousse. Both shinobi turned, recovering, ready to demand an explanation.

Karin caught a face full of sand gourd as Gaara whirled, which stifled her attempt to ask 'what's the big idea?' She heard the pop and ominous hiss as sand began to flow from the opening. Her red eyes widened behind the thick lenses of her glasses.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gaara demanded, pale seafoam eyes fixing on the kid.

"You! I heard it was _you_ who said I shouldn't be a chūnin!" The boy snarled, face twisting. Gaara glared at him coldly. Did the kid have a death wish, or was he just retarded?

"Well I'll show you! I should be a chūnin! I have a kekkei genkai!"

"If you have a kekkei genkai, you should not negate your tactical advantage by shouting the fact to your opponent," Gaara chastised him coldly, still glaring. "If you fail to understand that, you clearly do not yet deserve to be a chūnin." The sand continued to hiss from the gourd. He was civilized enough not to want to paste the kid in the middle of a party thrown by his best friend and closest ally, but that didn't mean he was going to stand there and let some little shit beat on him.

Karin tried to push past the gourd to get a better look at whatever the fuck was going on. With his attention focused on the boy, Gaara didn't notice her hand on his sand.

"Oh get lost!" The youth shouted, thrusting an open palm at the Kazekage. There was an explosion of chakra. Sand flew everywhere, onto the food, onto the floor, onto the gathered guests. When it finally cleared the air, Gaara was gone. Karin, who had the misfortune of touching Gaara's gourd, was also gone. _That_ fact would not be noted until well after the uproar subsided.

A party full of shinobi took only a split second to go entirely on alert, with concealed weapons suddenly appearing in hands and people pausing to assess the situation. Nobody moved to the site of the altercation except for Naruto. The boy blanched when the impact of what he had just done, and the punishments he might expect, hit him.

"Seize him," Naruto ordered. Masked Anbu flickered beside the boy and took hold of him. The kid was terrified but knew full well that making anyone else disappear right now would nail his coffin shut. "Where is the Kazekage? What did you do?" Naruto demanded, tone angry.

"I told him to get lost. He's lost," the youth replied, with a quaver in his voice.

"What? Where?" Blond brows puckered over blue eyes. What the fuck was this brat playing at?

"I don't know. My kekkei genkai transports people. I don't know where he is. Somewhere," the boy babbled, on the verge of panicking. "I didn't mean to, really, I was just really mad and... oh shit, what the hell did I just do…"

"Shut up," Naruto said. The kid shut up. Naruto had him hauled off for questioning, and called a hasty conference, which included the genin's sensei, who was utterly mortified that his charge had pulled such a dumb-ass move, and against the Kazekage, no less. In the hours after the event, Naruto handled the crowd and the dispersal of the party, while Ibiki managed to extract some information out of the hapless genin.

Later that night, after the party had been cleared away (and all that sand had been cleaned up and stored safely away for Gaara's eventual return) Ibiki came to Naruto's office, where the young Hokage was still dealing with the fallout, and gave his report. He'd learned that the transportation jutsu the youth used was not likely to be lethal, but that unless the boy had a specific destination in mind, Gaara could be anywhere. _Anywhere_.

There was nothing for it at this point but to send out messages and searchers and hope that his friend would make it back unharmed. Knowing Gaara, he would. Naruto's fellow Kage was one tough little shit.

"What should we do with the kid?" Ibiki asked.

Naruto sighed. "Well, I spoke to his village leader and his sensei, and they're ok with us keeping him locked up until Gaara gets back, at least. They figured it was better than a declaration of war. Gaara's going to decide his punishment," the blond said. Ibiki nodded.

It wasn't until later that he realized Karin had also gone missing at the same time. Naruto had vague recollections of spotting her near the buffet table around the same time as Gaara, raising the concentration of redheads in that section of the tent. Did that mean that somewhere out there, Karin and Gaara were lost, alone, _together_? Karin the incorrigibly snarky, frankly-kind-of-tsundere, and Gaara the somewhat short-tempered, cranky-pants former psychopath? ...Oh shit.

* * *

Karin woke first, jarring suddenly awake. She was flat on her back on something softer than stone but not as soft as a bed, disoriented, and something was pinning her down. She tried to push it away and cried out in sudden agony.

Well, either her left arm was broken or it was severely injured. Either way, it hurt. And there was something on top of it, and something on top of her. She blinked her eyes, but couldn't focus. Where were her glasses? Her right arm was free and unharmed. She groped near her head, resolutely ignoring the fishy smell of her hand, until she encountered the familiar feel of her frames. She donned her glasses.

There was sand everywhere. Stinky sand, which smelled like old blood. She was being held down by sand, a gourd made of sand, and an unconscious man. She recognized hair the colour of old blood, the dark-rimmed eyes, and the kanji 'Ai' tattooed on his forehead. Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Suna. She didn't exactly know him, but he was a familiar enough figure around Konoha, being an ally of Leaf and a good friend of Naruto's.

She struggled a bit, trying to get free from beneath him, but was rewarded with more pain in her arm and a complete lack of stirring on his part. So she sighed and looked around to see what she could see in her limited field of view.

The answer was not much. They were outdoors and in some kind of evergreen forest, with trees that didn't resemble any she was familiar with, beyond the fact that they were trees. The sun was beginning to rise, giving her enough light to see by. The air was moist and cool. Other than that, she couldn't really tell anything about where they were. Or how they got there. The last thing she remembered was that kid yelling at the Kazekage to get lost, and then he'd unloaded a lot of chakra at the sand master. Whatever technique the youth had used had hit her too, possibly because she was too close or because she was touching Gaara's gourd. Everything went black and she'd had a sensation of falling, and then she couldn't remember anything until she woke up. Pinned under Gaara. Well, at least he was warm.

She tried for a few minutes to wake up her blanket, but he was pretty dead to the world. Giving up, she lay there somewhat patiently (more like resignedly) and watched the sky lighten. At least no one else seemed to be near, or no enemies. What thin comfort.

After about fifteen minutes, according to her internal clock, the unconscious Kazekage groaned and twitched. Hope surged through her.

"Hey, wake up!" she said.

"What?" asked Gaara, eyes fluttering open. His head hurt. He felt like shit. What the fuck had happened? His most recent memories were fairly close to Karin's, though he hadn't been aware that the kunoichi had been touching his gourd. He'd been too intent on the kid.

"Wake up!" Karin repeated her demand.

"I'm awake. Be silent," Gaara grunted, turning his head to the source of the sound. It was the redheaded kunoichi Naruto was trying to rehabilitate. He was spread out face first on the ground, and partially on the girl, and his sand was all over the place. His gourd was lying next to him, apparently on top of her arm. "What happened? Where are we?"

"Fucked if I know. A forest somewhere. I could maybe try to locate some civilization, but you're kind of on top of me and I can't move," Karin snarked. The last three years might have tempered her somewhat, and been an object lesson in diplomacy and getting along with others, but Karin was still Karin.

Gaara gave her a disapproving glare to demonstrate his lack of appreciation for her sarcasm. It was like water off a duck's back. She glared back. He shifted, trying to roll off of her, not noticing her teeth grit against the pain in her arm as his movements jarred her. Then he muttered a breathless curse and froze. When they'd landed, he'd hit his leg against something hard. He glanced behind himself. A rock protruded from the soft forest floor.

"What is it?" Karin snapped.

"My leg. It's injured. I think it might be broken," he replied tersely.

Karin started to laugh, humourlessly. Both of them were incapacitated; She with her arm, he with his leg. Well, she could do something about the leg, if he'd just get off her. Gaara continued to stab her with his cranky look, which had only intensified with her mirthless cackle. Her laughter cut off as her eyes narrowed belligerently at his expression.

"Oh wipe that look off you face and get off me. You hurt your leg, I hurt my arm. Or more precisely, your dumb, heavy-ass _gourd_ hurt my arm. I think it's broken. How the hell do you manage to lug this shit around all day? It's got to weigh hundreds of kilos."

Gaara glared at her, slightly miffed. "It's mine. It moves as I will it. I never notice the weight."

"Yeah, well _I_ sure as hell do. I'd really like to get it, and you, off me."

"Shut up, probationer," Gaara snapped, feeling aggrieved.

Karin shut up, suddenly reminded that she _was_ still on probation and nowhere near Konoha or anywhere she could recognize, at least if the trees were an indication. Oh shit, she was AWOL. She was going to be in deep shit when Konoha finally caught up to her, and when she was _so damn close_ to finishing her bloody probation too. She didn't protest when Gaara's attempts at getting off her jostled her injured arm painfully. She just stared off into space, wondering if she was even going to have time to explain that none of this was her fault before some Anbu executed her.

Gaara stifled his own pain as he moved off her. Now that he knew he was hurt, preparing himself for the pain was a little easier. It had caught him by surprise; that was all. He grunted, sitting up. The gourd rolled off the kunoichi's arm at his command and he used it to pull himself into a sitting position. The sand that had scattered around the clearing slipped back into the gourd. He only had about half. The rest was probably all over the party pavilion right now. Damn. Oh well, if there were rocks around, he could easily make new sand, but that had been _his_ sand, soaked with the blood of his enemies and his chakra. He missed it already.

Now free of Gaara, his gourd, and his sand, Karin sat up. She moved gingerly, careful of her left arm, and checked the rest of herself for damage. Gaara followed suit, checking himself over carefully, sitting against his gourd.

Karin and Gaara had never exactly spent a lot of time with each other, or been particularly concerned with each other, period. Each other's existence had been more or less inconsequential to their day to day lives. Now, here they were together, sitting injured and facing each other in some clearing, who knows where.

"Anything other than the leg?" Karin asked, all business.

"The other arm, my right," he replied. "You?"

"Just the left arm. Got some bruises, but fuck 'em. Bruises go away faster than broken bones."

"Do you know where we are?"

"You already asked me that. The answer is still no. In case you weren't aware, I've been trapped here under your shit since before I woke up. I haven't had much opportunity to go wandering around for a look-see."

"Hold your tongue."

" _You_ are the one who asked a stupid question."

They glared at each other. Icicles could have frosted right there in the air between them. Karin was absolutely not afraid of him, despite knowing full well what he was capable of. Gaara was in no mood to be baited, and not exactly pleased at being wounded, off in some strange woods, and stuck with a sarcastic bitch.

"So you mean to tell me that not only are we injured, but we are also lost?" Gaara asked, tone implying that it was somehow her competence (or lack thereof) that had landed them in this situation.

"It sure as hell looks that way, doesn't it?" Karin snapped. "Don't look at _me_. _You're_ the one who antagonized the kid with the bizarre kekkei genkai."

Gaara considered this. He thought for a long moment in silence. "Some kind of transportation technique," he said, distracted from his annoyance with Karin momentarily. "He shouted 'get lost,' and it appears to be quite literal. What an odd kekkei genkai. I've neither heard nor read about anything like it."

"I've heard about things like that," she said. She looked away. "Orochimaru had a teleporting nin that he managed to absorb a long-range transportation jutsu from. Come to think about it, that kid was from Amegakure too. Man, that was so long ago, now."

Gaara stared at her. That's right, before she fell in with the Uchiha, she'd been one of Orochimaru's collection of freaks. It might have been an uncharitable (not to mention hypocritical) way to think of her, but Gaara wasn't feeling very charitable right now. He was wounded to the point where travel was infeasible, completely lost when his village needed him, and she was a bitch. She could occupy freak status in his mind right now, no matter how hypocritical this was.

"So do you have any idea of how his technique works or where we might be?"

"For the third damn time, I'm as lost as you, so I'll answer the second part of your question with no," she snarled. Before Gaara could snap out a retort, she went on, talking right over him. His face gave one small tic of annoyance. "To answer your first question, if this nin's technique is anything like Seiji's, we could be hundreds of kilometres away from Konoha right now. Seiji never tried to send himself or anyone anyplace when he didn't have a clear destination in mind, which I doubt that kid had. ' _Get lost_ ' indeed," Karin rolled her eyes.

Gaara was still staring at her, but somewhere during her explanation, the annoyance in his eyes had given way to trepidation and then outright alarm. Somewhere, possibly weeks or months away, Suna needed him. And he was stuck in a forest with a broken leg, a broken arm, and a bitch. Perhaps echoing from some other dimension where trouble regularly followed Gaara for the entertainment of some mysterious audience, he thought, _why does this stuff always happen to me?_

"I don't have time for this. I have to get back to my village. I should have left right after the last exam but I had to attend that _party_ ," Gaara spat out the word 'party'. Suna's aquifer was in dire need of urgent repairs and he was here. Wherever 'here' was.

Karin could kind of sympathize. The last place she'd wanted to be was that party too. Well, ok, the second last place. The last place she wanted to be was right where she was right now.

"Well, good luck with that. You're going to make great time with a broken leg and a broken arm," she jibed. Just because she could sympathize didn't mean she was going to be nice. The man was an asshole.

Gaara went back to glaring daggers at her. She ignored him, using her good hand to check her equipment. Fortunately, she had resisted Naruto's suggestions to play little miss dress-up kunoichi and had shown up in her flak vest and kit instead of a kimono. She'd hardly been the only one. It paid off; she didn't have with her all the equipment she would choose for a journey of indeterminate length through unfamiliar territory, but it would do.

"My village is in trouble. I have to get back as fast as possible," Gaara said.

"Is it an emergency?" Karin asked. Not that it would matter; they were pretty much limited in the response they could make at the moment. But how urgent could it have been if he could attend the party first?

"Not a military emergency, no. But it's urgent." Water supplies were serious business in Suna.

"Does it need to be handled by you personally?"

Gaara opened his mouth to snap something at her, then closed it, considering. He wouldn't be doing anything in particular, merely overseeing repairs. Baki and Kankurō could be trusted to see to it that the repairs were completed on time and without problems. It annoyed him a bit to realize that he was probably superfluous.

"That's not the point. I'm the Kazekage," he grumped.

"Yeah, you sure are. But you're also in the middle of some woods somewhere and injured. And just so you know, this whole deal kind of screws me, _too_. I'm not supposed to be out of the village without permission, and I really don't want to be declared a missing-nin and have Anbu hunting my ass for the rest of my meagre life. So I kind of need to figure out how the hell I can get back to Konoha fast before Uzumaki-sama declares me AWOL and sends out teams to _kill me_."

Gaara blinked. They were both royally screwed, but in different ways. Actually, Karin probably had it a bit worse. No one was going to send death squads after _him_. And the aquifer would get fixed, fast, even without him. She was right, but damned if he was going to admit it to her. He thought for a moment about what they were to do from here.

"Then as I see it, we should take the following course of action. First, we should see to our wounds as best we can. I don't know about you, but I am no medic nin. Once we figure out if or how we can travel, we try to find a settlement and figure out where we are. Then we find some way home," he said.

Sensible words. Karin knew he was right, so she said nothing. At least he seemed to be suggesting they should travel together. It struck her suddenly that he was hardly obligated to stay with her. Although, at the moment, he didn't really have a choice. She was a touch more able-bodied right now. She could change that, though. It would be a lot easier if only _one_ of them had broken bones.

In her younger years, Karin had been forced to offered this to pretty much any injured comrade. After she hit puberty she'd come to the conclusion that being a bite-scarred bitch wasn't going to help her romantic chances, so she'd refused to let just anyone chomp her. She was still a bitch, but she'd kept herself from adding overmuch to her bite collection. She wasn't certain she'd do this under 'normal' circumstances, valued ally of Konoha or not, but this sure as hell wasn't a normal circumstance. She began to lift her shirt, gingerly avoiding too much movement of her broken arm.

"What are you doing?" Gaara demanded, eyes suddenly wide as the fabric came up. Sure, a part of him had noted that Karin was attractive despite being a bitch, and he was _really not comfortable_ with the sight of a pretty girl stripping in front of him in the middle of some damn forest.

"I'm healing you," Karin snipped.

"That requires you to take off your clothes?" He wasn't sure he was comfortable with this _at all_.

"Yes, since I can't roll up my sleeve with a broken arm," Karin replied, the words muffled, as she pulled her shirt halfway off to expose her arm. Pulling back the sleeve required more manual dexterity than taking the shirt part of the way off. She managed to keep her yelp a mere squeak as her injured arm was moved. "Now shut up and bite me." Yeah. How often did she have the opportunity to say _that_ to a foreign leader? Take that, Kazekage. The expression on his face was priceless.

"I beg your pardon?!" Gaara refused to look at her, instead looking somewhere at the trees off to her side. He glared at the vegetation, since he couldn't quite bring himself to direct his glare at _her_.

Karin gave a feral grin. So the infamous Gaara was uncomfortable around women. That was hilarious, actually. That blush was actually kind of cute. "You heard me. Bite me," she sidled closer to him. He looked alarmed and insulted at the same time, and he'd given up trying to look the other way. His eyes met hers. She raised her good arm to his face, and he caught a whiff of her fragrance. He spotted the bite marks all on her arm and quirked a naked eyebrow. At her nod, he opened his mouth. So that was why her skin looked so chewed up.

Teeth met skin and closed gently, as though he didn't want to hurt her. He still looked uncertain. Karin drew in a breath, closed her eyes, and stifled the moan that always came to her lips when she did this as the chakra began to flow. It always hurt a little, but the pain was washed away by the pleasure. She always lost track of time when she did this. She hoped the Kazekage would be too distracted by the healing to notice her flush or the fact that her nipples were stiffening beneath their bindings. The shirt was covering that mostly, so she should be safe.

It could bring people back nearly from the dead, and a few broken bones were nothing. Gaara's eyes widened further as the green glow of her chakra enveloped him. The little aches and pains and bruises that he had disregarded completely faded away entirely, including a headache he hadn't been fully aware that he had. He shifted suddenly as his leg and arm cricked, the bones setting properly and the pain vanishing as they healed.

This was a truly amazing and _useful_ ability. He glanced at the kunoichi, and was startled at her expression. She appeared to be... enjoying this. Her eyes were squeezed shut and there was a slight blush on her cheeks, and... oh dear. She _was_ enjoying this. Gaara averted his gaze, suddenly uncomfortable with what he had witnessed. It didn't help that she was really quite pretty, even if she was a shrew.

Then the green chakra faded away suddenly and Gaara leaned back against his gourd, completely healed. Heck, even the toe he had stubbed yesterday morning getting out of the shower was no longer sore. Amazing. He should probably thank her, though he kind of dreaded giving this harridan any gratitude, deserved or not. He sighed.

"Thank you, Karin-chan," he said, using her proper name for the first time. She paused in her struggle to get her shirt back on and looked at him, slightly surprised.

"Well we couldn't have _both_ of us disabled, now, could we?" The statement was clearly rhetorical, and said with a hint of sarcasm, but he took it at face value.

"It would be harder to travel with two of us broken, yes. Especially with a broken leg. Can you heal yourself?" He ignored her tone for now. Her actions had bought her that much.

"No, not until tomorrow," she said, looking away slightly embarrassed.

At least it sounded like he still intended to travel with her, despite the fact that he was now fully able bodied. That was a relief. He was known to be a reformed mass murderer, and he had no obligation to her; leaving her to fend for herself would have being neither a huge surprise nor completely unjustified.

"Then we're going to have to find some way to set your arm and splint it. Like I said I have no medical jutsu. But I do know some first aid." The thought of abandoning her had never crossed his mind. She was ostensibly an ally, stuck out here through no fault of her own, and under the protection of his best friend. So what if she was a bitch. He was going to get her home in one piece, for Naruto. He had assumed they would travel back together, since they had been stranded together.

The break was a clean one at least, thankfully broken, not crushed, and not breaking the skin. It was a simple fracture. His gourd could have easily destroyed her arm past the healing abilities of anyone save for Sakura or Tsunade. She was lucky and they both knew it. Gaara cut small sticks into straight lengths and used them to splint her arm as they both sat silently, dealing with the task at hand. With a roll he found in his kit, he bandaged it firmly but not tight enough to cut circulation, and used pieces of leftover bandage to make a sling.

Arm splinted securely, Karin stood up, taking a good look around for the first time. Gaara stashed his robe under his gourd, opting for the travelling clothes he'd worn underneath, and shouldered himself back into his harness. All gathered up and ready to go... somewhere. Their eyes met and they gave each other a 'now what?' look.


	3. Chapter 2 - Even in this economy, a shinobi can find a break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it seems there's not too many readers yet. Hopefully that will change as the action picks up. Thanks again to my beta, the indomitable 93d1c5 (how do you remember your name? That's like one of those random passwords generated by password generation systems!). These chapters are significantly long and beta reading is work, even if you love a story (and 93d1c5 has offered no opinion on whether or not he or she is actually enjoying any of this), and I may have to go to a bi-weekly post schedule to give poor 93d1c5 some time for their real life.
> 
> Readers who are able to do some conversion might think that the wage Gaara negotiates is low. It is a low wage by the standards of modern Western economies. I've placed the tech level of this world as somewhere around steam/early industrial with the beginnings of modern conveniences (we haven't seen computers, high rises, vehicles, or planes at all - just electricity and a few gadgets that might have been cobbled with chakra). As such, the economy is probably less inflationary than our modern economy, where the equivalent $100 a day might well be several times what a regular person might make. Remember, at one time in North America, a buck could buy you a week's worth of supplies, with change. Land was bought and sold of $5, and $100,000 was a fortune. It wasn't until the boom/crash international stock market cycle started to occur in the early part of last century that we really saw runaway inflation. Before that, currency stayed roughly the same value for decades or centuries.

Chapter 2 – Even in this economy, a shinobi can find a break

* * *

As the sun came up and warmed the air, the forest began to fill with the sound of birds. The unfamiliar trees towered above them all around. Neither Karin nor Gaara had ever seen trees like this before. Not that Gaara was an expert in trees, but Karin had spent most of her life near forests of some sort.

Gaara was at a loss as to what to do next. He'd never really been _lost_ before - never had so little knowledge of where he might be and in what direction _home_ was. "Well," he finally said, decisively, "If all directions are equally unknown, I guess it doesn't matter which one we pick," he started to stride off towards the west.

"Wait just a second. I have a better way," Karin said, halting him. He gave her a questioning glance. "Give me a moment." She activated her Kagura Shingan. Wandering off in a random direction was _not_ the best course of action to take when you had someone who could detect the presence of _other people_.

Alright, ignore the blazing presence near her. She'd known he was powerful but she'd had no idea he was _that_ powerful – even with the bijū gone he still shone to her chakra sight, brighter even than Sasuke had, before he'd become a fuck face. Ignore it for now, _don't_ get further turned on by the asshole... there are more important things to deal with... She turned in a circle, casting her sight as far as it would go.

Well, if they'd gone his way, they would have had a long walk before reaching any kind of civilization. Nothing in that direction as far as she could sense. North east, now, there was something. Not large, not powerful... it had the feel of a village – an actual village, not the near-cities that were _called_ villages in the shinobi world. It was almost out of the range of her ability to detect, at 25 km, and there was nothing at all closer, at least not in concentrations large enough for her to detect.

"That way," she said, pointing. "It looks like a small town or village or something. Nothing else in any direction."

"How do you know that?" Gaara demanded.

"I have a technique that lets me see chakra. There's human beings about 25 km in that direction, but not anywhere else within about a 30 km radius of where we are," she said, flatly. Her range had improved over the years.

Gaara grimaced. "25 km. With you injured and over unknown terrain, that will take all day." He sounded slightly annoyed. She turned to glare at him.

"It would have been even _slower_ with _your broken leg_ ," she snapped. It was _his_ stupid gourd that broke her arm. Hells, it was _him_ that damn kid was after in the first place. It was _all his fault_. Well, his, and the genin's. But she didn't have the genin here to blame. She had Gaara.

He grunted but otherwise did not respond. She scowled. They began walking through the trees, towards the northeast where Karin had sensed people.

Gaara sent up a sand eye to peer over the trees and discovered that they were on a heavily forested mountainside. He could not see the village Karin had mentioned – there were too many thick clouds in the way. He told her as much, and she had snapped and insisted that the village was indeed there.

25 km might have been a laughing matter for fresh, rested shinobi pushing themselves to gain ground in familiar locales _ **.**_ An army on foot could march about 40-50 km in a day. A shinobi could run more than that, if they put their chakra into it. But when walking through unfamiliar territory, with one person injured, 25 km wasn't so funny. Gaara cut Karin a walking stick to help her, seeing as she had one limb out of commission. She'd accepted it without comment. It helped, especially when the grade of the slope increased noticeably. Going down a mountain could be as dangerous as going up.

They walked all day. At one point Gaara killed a small tree-dwelling mammal with his sand, and she built a fire from dead wood, one-handed. Neither of them had been carrying rations. Nor had either of them recognized plants they knew were edible. Even the critter they ate was unfamiliar, though it thankfully didn't seem to be poisonous. A small stream going down the mountainside provided deliciously fresh water, which Gaara purified with a tablet from his kit. They repeated this at sundown, when the mountain had refused to allow them to travel in a straight line to their destination and thus made the journey farther than 25 km. Hopefully they would arrive tomorrow. The hike was mostly silent save for purely mechanical discussions of travel hazards - what did the Kazekage and Konoha's wayward probationer have in common? Neither of them were in much of a talking mood. Even their strictly-functional conversation verged on argumentative, most of the time.

They slept together on the ground, backs together for warmth. Gaara's gourd sat nearby and his sand provided a pillow. It was better than nothing.

In the morning the cool and humidity had them both moving a little slowly, but as the air warmed and they warmed, that dissipated. Karin's arm ached. Both of their bellies felt empty. Neither was in a particularly good or talkative mood. Well, at least she could take care of that aching arm. He stood on guard, averting his gaze, as she used her heal bite to take care of her own wounds.

Around noon they stumbled across a road on the valley floor. They halted, considering.

"Roads lead to people," Gaara said. It was the closest _he_ would go to saying 'you were right.'

Karin halted, concentrated, and invoked her Kagura Shingan again. The village was definitely recognizable as a village now, and only 10 km away. She assumed the road went there; her chakra sight told her nothing of the road. The village was definitely there and there were chakra signatures coming from the road in the opposite direction of the village – not the chakra signatures of shinobi, but definitely living humans and horses. Their rate of travel would bring them close enough to greet within half an hour.

"There's someone coming down the road," she said, gesturing down the direction of the approaching party. "About five people and several horses. The village is about 10 km up the road."

"Someone is coming?" Gaara asked.

"That's what I just _said_. They'll be in sight in 20 minutes. They're mounted," she replied.

"So they will overtake us?"

"Yes. Handily."

"Then we should hide and observe them. It might give us a better idea of where we are, and whether we're in hostile territory," he said.

Karin nodded. She wasn't going to out and out _say_ Gaara was right, but his suggestion was the wisest course of action. The two of them melted into the trees lining the road, choosing points where they could see each other and communicate through gestures, but where they had a decent view of the oncoming party without too much danger of being spotted. Gaara sent his sand eye to observe. Karin concealed her chakra as best she could, which was very good indeed.

What Gaara saw eased his worries that they were in hostile territory. Two mounted men in leather armour of an unfamiliar style, one with a bandaged shoulder, paced a small carriage drawn by two more horses. Behind the carriage, three horses were tied to lead ropes and walking sedately. Two were saddled, one had nothing but packs. Both the men and the carriage driver were armed – all three had short horn bows and quivers of arrows. The horsemen also carried sabres of a style he knew was sometimes used in the country across the mountains southwest of Wind. There were no signs of hitai-ate, but all three men wore blue cloth armbands with a symbol stitched in bright white thread.

Gaara could make out the symbol – it was also in the language of Wind's south western neighbour. He brought the lump of sand back to his gourd and gestured to Karin to step out in the road.

"I know where we are." Well, that was partially right. He had a general idea now, even if he didn't know _precisely_ where they were. "They should not be hostile. We may be able to ask them for aid." He thought of the two horses with empty saddles. They did not seem like spares. Instead, it seemed more as though they no longer had riders. The carriage, too, had gouges and chips in the lacquer that looked as though they were caused by weapons, and the scars in the wood were relatively fresh and unweathered.

"Where are we, then?" Karin asked.

"In the country that lies past Wind's south western mountain range. They speak a different language than we do, but I speak it well enough to get by. They don't have shinobi, but occasionally they send contracts across the mountain passes and Suna will fill them," he said. He described the party approaching.

"Horses with empty saddles?" Karin asked.

"And damage to the carriage. They are guards, but their numbers are fewer than when they set out. We may be able to hire on with them, until we can find our way to a port," he said.

"A port? I thought you said this place was across the mountains?" Karin demanded. She really _hated_ boats.

"We're coming into their rainy season. The passes will be impossible to navigate – mudslides are very common and the roads must be repaired every dry season. I think we are further south; these mountains aren't like the ones by the border. These are gentler," he said.

Oh. Well, that sucked. But Gaara had a point. Maybe they could hire on with these guys. It would solve the question of finances. She had about 100 ryo to her name; enough in her pocket to grab a meal or two, back in Konoha. Which is what it had been intended for – breakfast money for the next morning. The rest of her meagre financial resources were in a hidden safe in her apartment. She had _no_ idea how much money Gaara had, but she doubted that he'd gone to the party with scads of bills stuffed into his pants. Not to mention, did this mysterious country southwest of Wind even _use_ ryo?

"You'd better let me do the talking," Gaara said.

"Well you speak the language. I don't. Just don't screw us any more than we already are," she snarked. He flicked her a glare but said nothing.

They stood in the middle of the road, ignoring the fine drizzle that began even while they were waiting. In about 15 minutes, the carriage and its outriders rumbled into sight, cresting the rise in the mountain road. Spotting the two shinobi standing in the middle of the road, one of the riders shouted a command that neither nin could make out. The carriage halted.

One rider stayed with the carriage, hand on bow, while the shouter rode forward. Gaara and Karin stayed put, giving no reaction. The rider reined his horse up a few yards from the shinobi. One hand dropped to the hilt of his sword.

"State your purpose. Are you friend or foe?" the rider asked. Gaara understood him, though the accent was different from what he was used to. Karin, of course, understood not a word. She stood wordlessly, not making an expression or reaction.

Gaara concentrated on his words. He wasn't fluent, but his grasp of the language was good. His accent would give him away as a foreigner, so there was really no chance of pretending to be a local.

"We are not hostile," he replied. The man looked slightly surprised, at Gaara's accent, he thought. "We are from the Five Countries region; an enemy used a technique that transported us here. We are trying to return home."

"Five Countries?" the man said. "Are you chakra warriors, then?" His voice sounded... hopeful.

Chakra warriors. Gaara was pretty sure he meant shinobi. " _We are_ shinobi," he said, using the Five Countries term. He gestured to Karin, indicating her Leaf hitai-ate, and then patted his own, with its Sand symbol, which was tied to one of his gourd's straps. "We are from allied villages."

"You are 'shinobi'," the man repeated, using Gaara's term. "Are you for hire? We happen to be hiring guardsmen for a journey overland to protect this carriage."

Gaara almost smiled. His assumptions were correct. These guys were down in manpower and looking to pad their strength. Shinobi had a reputation for being reliable when paid for, and that reputation had extended even this far south.

"It depends on the price," he said. Haggling would be expected. He had an idea what acceptable rates would be for people like themselves here, based on missions his nin had done in this country.

The rider licked his lips and named a ridiculously low daily rate. Gaara's eyebrow quirked in an 'oh _really_ ' expression.

"Surely you jest," the redheaded man replied, coldly. "I take it you are paying us to smile and look pretty for that price? Because it will certainly cover nothing more than that."

"She's a woman. What good will she be in a fight?"

"She is a kunoichi. She can kill you in a heartbeat. She was once infamous, part of an organization that was feared throughout the Five Countries," Gaara stated. "I am also infamous. I am accounted as one of the most powerful people in my village. Neither of us are weak, or unskilled."

"Infamous. How many people have you killed?" the man demanded.

Gaara looked him squarely in the eye. "I cannot speak for my companion, and she does not speak your language. But _I_ have killed hundreds with my sand." As he spoke, the cork popped from the gourd, and sand began to hiss ominously out, floating in the misty air in a coil above Gaara's head.

Karin eyed the interaction, not letting the trepidation she felt show on her face. Her chakra sense told her that Gaara was calm and that he was probably bluffing. The Kazekage had no intention of attacking. The other man had been prepared to attack if necessary, and then had had the sense of someone about to get the better end of a deal, and now was leaking worry. She didn't blame him. With that sand out, she was kind of worried too. She'd mostly disregarded Gaara's past until now, but this was a graphic reminder that he could easily obliterate her. She resolved to be a bit better behaved. (It was to last all of an afternoon. Which was still a record for Karin.)

The mounted man made a second offer, this one closer to the offer he should have made the first time. Gaara calmly named a rate even higher than that. It was higher than he knew he could get, but that was part of bargaining.

"For a price like that I could hire _ten_ guardsmen," the man scoffed.

"We are shinobi. Chakra warriors, as you call them. I've been killing people since I was a toddler," Gaara said. The man blanched at Gaara's last statement, eyes flicking over the Kazekage appraisingly. He gave another figure, this one higher and into the range that Gaara considered acceptable.

They haggled for a few more minutes, and finally came to an agreement. Gaara and Karin would ride the two horses with empty saddles, but the horses would remain the property of their clients. They would be paid at a rate of 10,000 won per day, each, which worked out to about 1,000 ryo. If both shinobi stayed until the carriage (and its passengers) were safely delivered to its destination, there would be a bonus of 100,000 won for each of them. Their employer would handle all provisions and lodging during the journey, but medical expenses and other supplies were the responsibility of Gaara and Karin. Gaara demanded the first day's pay up front, and agreed to being paid on a weekly basis after that. Karin would be considered Gaara's subordinate, and they would both answer to the rider as head guardsman, and to the passenger.

Finally, the rider nodded. "Wait here. I will draw up the contract. Once you have signed, you may join us." At Gaara's curt nod, he turned his horse and went back to the carriage. Gaara turned to Karin.

"We were right, they're down in strength. I've got us a contract as guards to deliver the carriage and its passenger safely to a city in the northeast. It's on the way to the coast. We're being paid 10,000 won a day – ten won is equivalent to one ryo. That's a bit higher than the usual going rate I charge for my shinobi for escort missions in this country. He didn't want to pay you the full rate at all because you are a woman. I insisted you were competent," he said, quickly forestalling her protest at getting a cut rate due to her sex. The corners of Karin's eyes tightened angrily, but she said nothing. Gaara continued.

"We'll also get a bonus of ten times the daily rate if we're there until the end of their journey. They'll cover food and inn rooms, but other supplies are on our expense. If we are attacked, we can keep our share of any spoils from those we defeat. We are given the use of the horses until we leave their employ. Do you know how to ride?"

"Yes," Karin said.

"Good. I can't. I suppose I shall have to learn," he said, flatly. He briefly wondered about the logistics of riding around with his gourd, and then dismissed his concern. As long as he was awake, he could make it so the considerable weight of the gourd was not felt by the horse.

Down the road, the rider who had spoken to them was discussing something with the passenger. The shinobi saw his upper body emerge from the carriage. The man nodded to the two other men. Two pieces of paper came out, and a bottle of ink and brushes. After several minutes of writing, the man rose, blowing on the paper to dry the ink. He barked a command at the other rider, who went to the back of the carriage and took the leads of the two horses with saddles. The two men and four horses made their way up the road to where Karin and Gaara waited.

"Here is the contract," the rider said, handing Gaara the paper. Gaara read it carefully, as did Karin – the contract lettering used a symbol set that was shared by both the Five Countries and this country, rather than the one that was unique. All the conditions were there. He nodded and gestured for the ink and pen. While Karin held the contracts, he signed his name, then they changed places and she signed hers. They handed one paper back to the head rider, and kept the second.

"Good. My name is Cheung Bon-Hwa. This is Kim Chung-Hee. The carriage driver is Chup Dak-Ho," their new employer said.

"I am Gaara. This is Karin," Gaara replied.

"No family names?" Bon-Hwa asked.

"Not necessary where we are from," Gaara said, his tone dry.

"Right. Infamous. Well, mount up. You're on duty as of now." He tossed a small bag to Gaara, who checked the contents. The agreed-upon advance was in the bag. Gaara stashed it in his kit. He'd give Karin her share later.

"We're hired. We ride now," the Sand nin said to Karin.

"Ok," she replied. She walked over to the horses, putting out her hand for them to smell her scent. Gaara followed her lead, putting out his hand to the dun horse beside the chestnut one she chose. When the horse didn't react unfavourably, Karin began talking to it in a small, soft voice. She stroked its neck and scratched it along the mane. Once she'd judged that she wasn't going to get thrown, she mounted it in a flicker of motion, taking the reins. The horse chuffed at the sudden weight, flicking its ears back at her. She murmured softly to it, and its ears twitched, before going forward cheerfully.

"Your companion is familiar with horses," Chung-Hee observed. He didn't comment on the fact that Gaara was obviously less so.

"She's ridden before," Gaara replied. He did his best to follow her example. How did she know when it was ok to mount? He finally decided, moving suddenly into the saddle. The dun horse sidestepped at the sudden weight of Gaara, and tossed its head. Gaara grabbed at the reins, a muffled exclamation escaping his lips. The sound of his voice seemed to calm the horse.

Bon-Hwa and Chung-Hee turned their horses back towards the carriage. Karin reined her horse up next to Gaara and gave him a quick tutorial on how to control the horse. She was enjoying his discomfort and trepidation. So the great Kazekage could destroy horses in an eye blink, but needed help keeping in the saddle? Gaara scowled, but he followed her instructions as best he could. They walked their horses towards the carriage, where Bon-Hwa assigned Gaara a position in the lead with himself, and sent Karin and Chung-Hee to bring up the rear.

It was settled. Gaara and Karin had employment and transportation _both_ , now, which ought to get them closer to their destination. Gaara still wasn't entirely sure _where_ they were in the country, but their needs would be met until he could figure out how to get home, and all they had to do in return was the kind of work they usually did. It would work out all right.

On horseback, even with Gaara's lack of riding skill, the journey to the town was an hour. They arrived in early afternoon. This was when Gaara and Karin got their first sight of the person they were guarding. The screen on the side of the carriage slid aside and a slender pale hand emerged, raised.

"Bon-Hwa, where are we?" piped a light, high voice, in a somewhat imperious tone. It was a young woman, by the sounds of her voice, and by the sight of the unmarred, graceful hand. Of the nobility, most likely.

"We have come to a village, my lady," Bon-Hwa replied, bringing his mount up parallel to the window of the carriage.

"How far to the next one?"

"Three days' ride."

"Can we not stay here the night, Bon-Hwa? We have been two days on the road and I should like a bed instead of the carriage tonight. And a bath."

"It is still early, my lady. If we do not stay in this village, we can still travel far," Bon-Hwa's voice was slightly pleading.

Karin rode forward to Gaara. "What are they saying?"

Gaara glanced at her briefly, and back to the carriage. "She wants to stay in the village tonight. Bon-Hwa wants to keep going."

"Who will win?" Karin asked.

"The lady, I think. He is already pleading. I think he would be good in a fight, but against this hime, he has no chance," Gaara responded.

And so it proved. Bon-Hwa lost the argument with his charge, and the party secured a night's stay in the village's only inn. It wasn't the fanciest digs any in the group had ever stayed in by far, but it was more than adequate. The lady and the maid she was travelling with were ushered into a private room, where a bath was drawn. Bon-Hwa asked Karin to guard the hime, with Gaara translating. Karin nodded. Food would be sent up and she'd get a chance at a bath herself. She was filthy and uncomfortable with the grime.

For Karin, guarding the two young women was a simple task. She sat in a chair by the door while the lady bathed, her maid assisting her. They managed to exchange some details, despite the language barrier. The noble was named Heung Chan-Sook, and the maid was Kim Byun-Soon. Karin was made to understand that the maid was related to the other guardsman, the one with the bandages. She listened to the two women chattering gaily, trying to absorb as much of the language as she could, and kept her senses alert for any sign of hostile presences.

Both of the other girls were a few years younger than Karin, who was 20. Byun-Soon seemed to be the older one, maybe 17. Chan-Sook was 15 or 16, Karin couldn't tell. Both girls were beautiful, with long, glossy black hair, milk-pale skin as fair as Gaara's, and large, dark eyes. Chan-Sook's eyes were an intense, dark shade of indigo blue, while Byun-Soon's were black. Both seemed intrigued by the fact that Karin's hair and eyes were the exact same shade of red. They managed to communicate that red hair was very rare in this country. It didn't surprise Karin. Red hair was rare among anyone who wasn't a chakra user, even in the Five Countries.

After Chan-Sook bathed, Byun-Soon used the water to do the same – the inn did not have running water in the rooms and hot water had to be brought up. While Byun-Soon was dressing, the food arrived. Karin casually disrobed, cleaning her clothes in the bathwater as best she could with one hand, and draping them around the room to dry, and then got into the water and cleaned herself, eating as she did so. Chan-Sook had made a shocked sound at Karin's many scars, but then politely ignored them. It wasn't the nudity that bothered the girl, it was the scars. From the bathing behaviour of Byun-Soon and Chan-Sook, it seemed this country had similar skinship mores as the Elemental Countries. Avoiding the sight of Karin's scarred body, the hime turned her attention to all the various ninja implements that had been stashed about Karin's person. She had given Karin a questioning look, and the redhead had nodded, indicating the girl could examine her kunai holster and the weapons held within. As Chan-Sook pulled a vial of poison out of her kit, Karin barked out a negative and shook her head emphatically, trying not to drop her food in the tub. She managed to keep them from handling anything truly dangerous.

The food was different, but good. It seemed simple fare – stir fried vegetables and rice, a spicy fermented cabbage condiment which Karin found surprisingly good, a fried egg, and a thinly sliced strip of seasoned beef. The lady and her maid seemed slightly dissatisfied by the food, but Karin ate every bite quite happily. It beat mystery meat cooked over a campfire without any seasoning.

After bathing, she checked her clothes. Her undergarments and the mesh layers were already dry, so she put those on, replacing all her weaponry and tool pouches as she went. By the time she was done with that, the rest of her clothes had dried enough that she was willing to put them back on again.

The entire time, Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon chattered together. Karin was certain that at least some of the time, they were talking about her, but she tried to pay it no mind. Byun-Soon did Chan-Sook's hair, and then offered the brush to Karin, who accepted it gladly, doing her hair in the style she was accustomed to. Finally, she resumed her seat by the door, slipping into her Kagura Shingan to keep an eye for attackers while the two girls chattered on.

* * *

Down in the common room, Gaara joined the three men at a table for food and small beer. The three men were all older than Gaara. Dak-Ho appeared to be the oldest, in his mid 30s. Bon-Hwa, the leader, was in his late 20s. Chung-Hee seemed to be around Gaara's age, maybe a year or two older. All three men had dark eyes and short black hair that stood up straight. Bon-Hwa had a scar on his cheek; it looked like he'd been nicked by a knife. Dak-Ho had the face of one who had suffered greatly from acne as a youth. Chung-Hee was attempting to grow a short beard just under his lip, but was otherwise smooth-faced and youthful. Gaara thought that little patch of black hair looked ridiculous, but kept his opinions to himself.

Gaara ate hungrily - the lack of sustenance on their journey thus far left him with a hearty appetite. The three others watched as Gaara devoured two plates of food.

"Do you eat like that all the time? I may regret the clause to provision you two," Bon-Hwa said.

"No," Gaara replied between bites. "As I said we've been stranded. We ate some animals we couldn't identify, but neither of us know the plants. We went yesterday with very little to eat."

"I see. So you have been in these lands a day?" Bon-Hwa asked.

"Yes. An opponent with a transportation technique sent us here," Gaara said, pretty much repeating what he'd said earlier, for the benefit of the rest of the group.

"Such a distance in such a short time. You're not going to take the mountain passes back to your lands, are you?" Chung-Hee asked.

"No, that would likely be a poor idea. You're going into the rainy season, correct?" Gaara stated.

"Yes, which is why I asked. You'll want to go to Beullu Sawon then. It's a port town; you'll be able to hire a steamship back to your lands," Chung-Hee remarked.

"How far away is it?" Gaara asked.

"Where we are going is on the way. We'll be one month to our destination, and Beullu Sawon is a week's travel beyond that. On foot, a week and a half, most likely," Bon-Hwa told him. A month and a half, then, back to Five Countries. Gaara suppressed a frown. It couldn't be helped.

"How is it you speak our language so well?" Dak-Ho, the coach driver, asked. "The girl, she doesn't seem to speak our language at all. You have an accent, but your words are good."

"I come from Wind country. It is on the northern border to this country. In my role within my village, I am often part of the discussions with clients from your country. So I learned to speak the language and read your alphabet, the one we don't share," Gaara replied. He didn't tell him that he was the Kazekage; they didn't need to know that information. Better he remained mostly anonymous here. Just in case.

"Is the girl also from your village?" That was Chung-Hee.

"No. She is from an allied village. We were at a diplomatic function when we were attacked. She had the misfortune to be caught in an attack meant for me," Gaara told them.

"Hmm. Is she your woman?" Chung-Hee asked. Gaara nearly choked on his fried greens. His face was heating, glowing red. "Or are you related somehow? I've never met anyone with red hair like you two have."

"She is an ally. Nothing more," the shinobi managed. That was an unexpected question.

"So is she spoken for? She's a good looking woman, with that cherry red hair. I'll bet she's a tiger in bed," Chung-Hee continued.

Gaara tried to get his reaction under control. "I wouldn't know," he said, firmly. "She's a real bitch, though, with a mouth like a viper. I'd be careful if I were you," he used his own language's word for 'bitch,' as his vocabulary didn't extend to insults.

"A shrew, huh? Well there's a good way to deal with them. Keep them shut up and it's bearable. Fill their mouth with your jaji, it works—,"

Gaara didn't need to be told what a jaji was; he figured it out well enough on his own from the context. "—I don't need advice," he interrupted Chung-Hee, a slightly affronted tone to his voice. This caused all three of the other men to laugh uproariously at his reaction. Gaara tried not to scowl.

"So you're interested in her then, Gaara-ssi?" Bon-Hwa asked.

"She is an ally," he repeated, stiffly. He'd adopted responsibility for the kunoichi, as surely as if she had been one of his own Suna nins. He fully intended to return her to Naruto unharmed. He hadn't really thought it out prior to this, but this sealed his unconscious decision and made it deliberate. The probationer was his charge, for the time being. That she was good looking was irrelevant. He'd managed to keep sex out of his business _thus_ far. He'd managed to keep sex out of his _life_ thus far.

"Then you won't have any objections to others trying their luck with her, huh?" Chung-Hee grinned.

"You don't even share a language!" Gaara protested, incredulously. Was this... this _lech_ serious? Chung-Hee should feel fortunate that Gaara didn't make a habit of killing his clients.

"Well I'm not exactly looking for a _conversation_ , if you know what I mean," Chung-Hee said, wiggling his eyebrows lewdly at Gaara, who scowled.

"Enough, Chung-Hee-ssi. I think you've teased poor Gaara-ssi enough about his companion," Bon-Hwa finally said, interrupting, as a serving wench unobtrusively refilled their mugs of beer. Well, she refilled the mugs of the others. Gaara's was untouched.

"Don't like beer?" Dak-Ho asked, gesturing to Gaara's full mug.

"I'm _underage_ ," Gaara muttered, aggrieved. This set Dak-Ho and Chung-Hee both to laughing again.

"How old are you?" Bon-Hwa asked.

"19."

"Then you're fine. Even if you were 18, if you're going to turn 19 this year, you can drink. Go ahead," Bon-Hwa said.

Gaara stared at his beer. Well, now he didn't have an excuse. He took a sip, covering his reaction at the bitterness of the brew. But the aftertaste wasn't all that bad. He took another sip.

"You drink like a girl. Hah, you're pretty enough to be one. Have you ever been with a girl bef—,"

"That's enough, Chung-Hee," Bon-Hwa interrupted his subordinate, while Gaara reddened again. No-one missed the lack of honorific. Chung-Hee closed his mouth with a snap. "Gaara-ssi and his companion are our teammates until we deliver Heung Chan-Sook-yang. Treat them as you would other comrades."

"I _am_ , Bon-Hwa-gun..." Chung-Hee protested.

"Then maybe with a little less _familiarity_ ," Bon-Hwa suggested lightly. Chung-Hee reddened, and Dak-Ho made a slightly amused sound, covering it with a swig from his mug.

Gaara gave Bon-Hwa a slight, almost unnoticeable nod of recognition, while Chung-Hee pretended to pick at the remaining vegetables on his mostly empty plate. Bon-Hwa clearly caught Gaara's motion, for he gave a curt nod back.

Gaara didn't know quite what to think of this. No one had _ever_ spoken to him like Chung-Hee had. Everyone had been too terrified of the homicidal Jinchūriki before he'd become Kazekage, and after, well, he was the _Kazekage_. You just _didn't_ speak to the Kazekage that way. Gaara had never been part of the crude banter of the lower ranking nin. He'd never witnessed, or participated in this kind of overtly sexual, teasing drink-talk. He suspected that Chung-Hee was treating him more or less normally, for the circumstance. Although, from Bon-Hwa's reaction, it was maybe going a little bit overboard, even for guardsmens' joking around. Or was that for Gaara's benefit?

He endured a few more hours of the mostly good-natured teasing and conversation before finally going to bed. He shared a room with Bon-Hwa, who was content not to chatter too much. Gaara felt relieved. He took the opportunity to bathe – it sounded like it would be a few days before he had the chance again.

"You hold a high rank in your village, don't you?" Bon-Hwa asked as they dressed for the night and got into the small beds sitting against opposite walls.

"What makes you say that?" Gaara asked back.

"Several things. You don't hold yourself like a rank and file soldier. The way you handle the woman – you're used to giving orders and being obeyed. You don't just speak like a diplomat; your speech is the way nobles speak. And you're clearly not used to soldier talk over ale," Bon-Hwa stated.

Gaara was silent for a moment. Bon-Hwa had deduced a lot about him from half a day's observation. He wouldn't mind having someone like Bon-Hwa on his staff, he thought. The man was clearly sharp. "You are correct. I am highly ranked in my village. My father was the leader of Sunagakure no Sato, the village hidden in the sand." He did not say that he had ascended to that position himself.

"And he let his son get trained as a warrior?" Bon-Hwa asked.

"The Kazekage is always the strongest shinobi in the village," Gaara replied, matter-of-factually. He didn't exactly want to delve into his relationship with his deceased father right now. The Fourth had sent assassins after his Jinchūriki son for most of Gaara's young life. Then Rasa had died at the hands of Orochimaru in that ill-advised attack on Konoha that ended up changing everything.

"I see. I suppose that makes sense for a military organization to be run that way. What about the girl? Does she hold rank?"

"She was a member of a notorious criminal organization, Akatsuki, subordinate to one of the most wanted criminals in the Five Countries, Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara said. Bon-Hwa shifted in his bed, clearly disturbed by this information. "She was captured by Konohagakure, an allied village to Suna. The leader of Konoha, the Hokage, accepted her request for clemency. She is now a Konoha shinobi under a probationary period."

"What, they would accept her when she was an infamous criminal? Is she trustworthy?" The other man sounded incredulous and slightly worried.

"You have nothing to fear. Her biggest concern is getting home as fast as she can before Leaf sends out execution squads to retrieve her. She did not intend to be away without leave," Gaara said mildly. "I consider her under my protection until I have had the opportunity to return her to the Hokage."

"So I should be at ease, then, is what you are saying. Very well. I have no further concerns, provided she isn't useless in a fight."

"She isn't." Gaara had vague memories of seeing her in action at the Five Kage's Summit in Iron Country. She'd fought competently. She was also able to detect people well in advance of encountering them, and able to heal, after a fashion. He had no concerns.

Bon-Hwa and Gaara were silent after that. On the small bed on the other side of the room from his employer, the shinobi finally closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, whoa, why is Karin so casually getting nekkid and bathing in front of these two teens... who are doing the same? Japan and Korea share very similar 'skinship' mores, which involves a lot more non-sexual physical intimacy between members of the same sex that we typically practice in English-speaking countries. Getting naked around other members of the same sex, especially people you're going to be spending a lot of time with, is pretty normal. None of these characters would be getting upset over it. Their biggest complaint would be that this inn is in such a backwater place that there isn't even any running hot water.


	4. Chapter 3 - Showing the locals how it's done has never been so much fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not a lot of readers here yet. I'm also going to start cross-posting this (and my other works) to AO3, as that archive doesn't censor.
> 
> Thank you to the ones who have reviewed, so far - The Secret Sal, 93d1c5 (my wonderful beta), InsecureDelusions, Socrates-Symchych, and the unsigned guest. Your feedback helps me to understand how this story is being received. I can't interpret silence.
> 
> 93d1c5 (a lovely shade of blue-green) was unavailable for this chapter. Any mistakes are my own.
> 
> Oh yeah... um... graphic violence. In this one, and the next one. And several others, too.

Chapter 3 – Showing the locals how it's done has never been so much fun

* * *

The next morning, Gaara breakfasted down in the common room with the other men, while Karin ate in the room with the lady and her maid. The party assembled in the great room after breakfast, and Bon-Hwa settled the inn fees. Then they went to the stables, where their horses and the carriage were prepared and waiting. And then they were on the mountain road again, making their way north.

Gaara and Karin were assigned the rear guard this morning. Karin sat her horse comfortably, while Gaara still rode like a novice. It wasn't all that surprising – he _was_ a novice, and his ass hurt from half a day in the saddle yesterday. He hoped he would grow accustomed to this _quickly_.

Karin, too, was slightly less than comfortable today. She knew how to ride, but it had been years since she had done so. Fortunately, the horse was a gentle ride, and compliant. Gaara actually had the more spirited horse, she noted with a smirk.

She had steadfastly ignored Chung-Hee's slightly flirty glances back at her. The man had no chakra to speak of, and Karin wasn't interested in the slightest. Gaara had way more chakra – no, best steer her thoughts away from that. No way, Karin. Nuh-uh. You've had _enough_ of powerful assholes.

The Karin of three and a half years ago would have been all over Gaara, of course. Well, except the Karin of three and a half years ago had been completely obsessed with Sasuke. The Uchiha had scorched her heart badly when he'd casually nearly done her in just to strike at Danzō. When she'd washed her hands of him, she'd washed away much of her former habits and made up the loss in bitterness and sarcasm.

Gaara found himself thinking about the interaction at the table the night before. He supposed Karin was attractive – he wasn't exactly an expert in girls. He'd pretty much entirely ignored that aspect of life, and he'd shot down his council quite tersely every time they suggested anything along the lines of marriage or children. Gaara had learned most of what he knew about sex from Kankurō bragging about his conquests, or giving him dubious advice framed as 'sex education'. Fortunately, Gaara knew enough to know that how Kankurō did things wasn't exactly the most chivalrous way to do things. Kankurō was an infamous man-whore in Suna.

Chung-Hee's overtures towards Karin disturbed Gaara, but it wasn't because Gaara wanted her for himself. He didn't think he did, anyway. She was an acidic, catty _bitch_ , after all. But she was under his protection. And Chung-Hee seemed to be a lot like Kankurō in his views towards women. Gaara didn't like it. If something happened between Chung-Hee and Karin, it would be temporary at best (as in a handful of nights, if that), and most likely end explosively. They were going to be with this party for one month. That kind of bullshit could render a team ineffective in battle. And from Bon-Hwa's alert demeanour, he expected trouble. The empty saddles that Gaara and Karin now filled told the shinobi that trouble had already come at least once.

"Ne, Gaara...' Karin's voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned his head to look at her wordlessly, silently inviting her to continue. "Did you happen to find out how long a journey it is to home?"

Gaara sighed. It was longer than he cared for. "The nearest port town is a little bit more than one month's travel away. We'll be with this group for one month, and then continuing on our own to the port city of Beullu Sawon. From there, we will take a steamship to Fire Country. I don't know how long that will take, or where the steamship will port."

"One _month_?" Karin snapped. "Where the hells are we, anyway? I can't be gone for one month. I'm so dead!"

"Most likely one month and a _half_ , before we even reach a Five Countries _shore_. It doesn't please me either," Gaara growled. "But it's what we have to deal with, so deal with it. And don't worry about hunter-nin. As long as you're with me I can attest to your behaviour, or the fact that you were not trying to escape Konoha. No Anbu would execute you while you're with me."

Karin shot him a startled glance. She hadn't really thought about that. But it was true – she wasn't just off on her own, she was travelling with the _Kazekage_. He could vouch for her. Naruto would definitely listen to Gaara, and the council would _probably_ listen to the leader of their biggest ally. Maybe this would be alright after all.

"One and a half months," Karin echoed. "Fuck. I don't speak any of the language either." It was an oblique way of asking Gaara to teach her. She wasn't comfortable asking _anyone_ for _anything_ , let alone asking anything from this cold, arrogant bastard.

"Then I guess you'll have to learn, won't you?" Gaara stated, unsympathetically.

Karin grit her teeth and scowled. Gaara faced straight ahead, watching the road, more or less ignoring her in favour of trying to stay on his horse. She was sure Chung-Hee would gladly attempt to teach her his language, if he thought it could get him into her pants, but damned if she was going to ask _him_. And it would go faster learning from someone with whom she shared a language in common. Well, didn't Gaara owe her a favour for healing him? She decided she'd ask him anyway, and swallow her damn pride.

"Ne, Gaara..."

"What is it?"

"Would you teach me some of their language?"

Gaara was silent for a moment. Well, she'd shown him how to ride, even if the actual _doing_ of it was entirely up to him and the horse. She'd healed him. She was a bitch, but... she _was_ under his care right now. Still looking straight ahead, he finally replied, "Yes."

Remembering her fan-girlish ways from back when the world was disintegrating, he expected her to squeal and bounce or have some other hyper, over-the-top reaction to the offer. She did nothing of the sort. She merely nodded and paced her horse beside his. Mentally, he shrugged, and began his language lesson. Both of them were peripherally monitoring the road and vegetation nearby for any signs of attackers, but they could devote part of their attention to other things.

They started with raw basics – yes, no, the numbers, colours, things like that. By the time Bon-Hwa rearranged the riding order around lunch (which was rations in the saddle, and awkwardly managed by Gaara), Karin had a basic grasp on the grammar and a small vocabulary. After lunch, Gaara stayed at the rear with Chung-Hee, while Karin rode point with Bon-Hwa. The head guard was happy enough to say the words for random things Karin pointed to and asked 'ige mwoya' ('what is this').

The language lessons continued when they made camp for the night in a clearing off the road. The lady and her maid joined Karin, Gaara, and the guards around the fire while Dak-Ho cooked a stew of crumbled rations and dried meat in a little black cauldron. Everyone contributed to Karin's language lesson, and the mood of the camp was one of good cheer and amusement. Possibly a little bit too much amusement on the part of Chung-Hee, who kept trying to get Karin to repeat things that were inappropriate. It was mildly annoying to Gaara, and Bon-Hwa seemed concerned about what Chan-Sook might hear and take offense to. Byun-Soon kept throwing her cousin scandalized and embarrassed looks.

Finally, Karin had enough of Chung-Hee's perverted behaviour, and she slugged him in the stomach with her mean right hook. The man groaned and bent double, hands covering his gut automatically. Dak-Ho and Bon-Hwa both laughed at that. Gaara found it slightly amusing, but he didn't indicate that he'd noticed. Byun-Soon shouted something about Chung-Hee buying what he paid for; laughing at her cousin's groaned response. Chan-Sook watched with wide eyes.

Finally, the young hime turned to Gaara. "Is your companion often violent?" she asked, indigo eyes wide.

Gaara grunted out an affirmative. "She is a kunoichi. We are shinobi, trained since childhood to fight."

"Even you?" Chan-Sook's eyes widened even further.

"Especially me," Gaara replied.

"But you seem so nice!" protested the hime.

Gaara stared at her. _Nice_? That had to be the first time anyone had ever called him that. "Most people run when they hear my name," he stated, flatly. The young woman flushed slightly, looking a little shocked. Gaara went back to staring at the fire.

After the evening meal, Bon-Hwa divided up the watches. Gaara volunteered to take second watch, explaining that he was able to function on less sleep than most people. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ to sleep when he could, but… those years as Shukaku's host had enabled him to go long periods of time without sleep or on tiny amounts of sleep. Bon-Hwa had looked about to suggest another watch for the shinobi, when Gaara interrupted.

"I never slept a night for the first 15 years of my life. Don't worry," Gaara said.

Bon-Hwa stared at him, not sure whether he should believe Gaara's claim. But the seriousness in Gaara's expression convinced him.

"Very well. You take second. I will take first. Chung-Hee will take last watch," Bon-Hwa agreed.

Chan-Sook requested for Karin to sleep in the carriage with her and Byun-Soon. Karin accepted, after Gaara translated the request. She would be able to use her Kagura Shingan from inside the carriage. She slept on the floor between the two benches upon which the ladies slept, and slept well enough despite the hard floor.

Gaara had inherited the bedroll that had been attached to his horse's packs. He slept until Bon-Hwa woke him for second watch, and then he kept his watch until it was time to wake Chung-Hee. It was an uneventful night. Keeping a watch was simplicity itself; he spread his sand around the perimeter of the site and in a second band further out, anything that disturbed the sand would instantly alert him. He kept his sand spread out even after he went back to sleep, when it was Chung-Hee's turn.

* * *

The next morning, Gaara returned his sand to his gourd, and Dak-Ho cooked them porridge for breakfast in the iron kettle. They fed and watered the horses, mounted up (or in the case of the ladies, got back in the carriage), and left for the road.

Karin had to endure riding point with Chung-Hee for the morning. 'Endure' was entirely the correct term for it. He spent most of the morning attempting to flirt with her. Finally, she sidled her horse up next to his and brandished her fist. The young man, seeing the deadly intent in her eyes, danced his horse out of striking range of her. Dak-Ho, watching from his seat at the carriage's reins, laughed at Chung-Hee.

Karin activated her Kagura Shingan every couple of kilometres or so, to keep track of the nearby chakra signatures. She was just in time this time to catch the 'sight' of someone excitedly fleeing from a vantage point up the mountain side. She followed the runner with her sight, discovering a small concentration of people. Again, none of them were particularly gifted with chakra. She ignored Chung-Hee's antics, wheeling her horse suddenly to approach Gaara.

"What is it?" The Kazekage asked, noting her concerned look immediately.

"Ask Bon-Hwa if this region is noted for bandits," she stated.

"Did you see something?"

"Yeah. A spotter up there," Karin gestured to the mountainside, "who ran off to a concentration of about ten people."

Gaara blinked. That sounded like bandits. He turned to Bon-Hwa. "Is this region known for banditry?"

Bon-Hwa halted immediately. The expression on his face told Gaara right away that the region _was_ known for just that. "Yes, it is. What did you see?" Gaara hardly needed the affirmative.

"Karin has a technique which lets her spot people from a great distance away. I told you about this the other night at the inn. She has spotted someone running up the mountain," he gestured to where Karin had indicated, "to about ten other people."

Bon-Hwa grunted. "That sounds like bandits. I heard in the inn that there is a particular group causing trouble on this road. That is probably them. If we have to fight a crowd of them, it will be more than we can handle."

"Hardly," Gaara said, mildly. Bon-Hwa's dark brown eyes met his pale seafoam orbs.

"You can handle that many?"

"Easily. Do you want them alive for questioning, or should I just kill them?"

"Uhm," Bon-Hwa said. "Just kill them, if you can do it without getting injured. Capturing raises the risk of one of our own taking too much damage. Our group has already had one bad run-in with bandits on this road."

That explained Chung-Hee's bandages and the scars on the carriage. Not to mention the empty saddles. Gaara nodded. He walked his horse back to Karin. "We kill them. Can you keep me posted on their movements?"

"Yeah," said Karin, slightly distractedly. "All of them are coming down the mountain now, but they're not going in a straight line. They're going ahead of us."

"An ambush."

"It would sure _look_ that way," she replied, slightly sarcastic as per usual. He disregarded it.

Gaara rode back to tell Bon-Hwa, who indicated for the carriage to halt. They rode up to include Dak-Ho and Chung-Hee in the conversation.

"Karin says there are bandits up ahead, preparing an ambush," Bon-Hwa said. Gaara quickly translated, and she nodded. Chung-Hee gave her a surprised look.

"They're moving down the mountain as we speak," she said.

"How many?" Dak-Ho asked. It was a simple enough phrase that Karin understood.

Karin concentrated, trying to pick out the individuals in the mass of moving chakra signals.

"Twelve," she said, and then she repeated the number in the language of their employers. Bon-Hwa nodded.

"I see no choice but to spring the trap. Gaara thinks he can kill them all without bringing any risk to us..." Bon-Hwa trailed off, glancing sideways at Gaara, who nodded. "Well then, shinobi, it's time to show if you're worth your pay. We'll continue on. Act like nothing has changed. Gaara, ride with Karin, she can inform you when we're approaching the ambush, I take it."

"Yes," Gaara replied.

"Very well, we have our movements. Execute," Bon-Hwa commanded. The carriage began rolling again. The two shinobi saw Bon-Hwa ride next to the carriage screen, clearly telling the hime about the ambush and the plan. Most likely, he was also telling her to stay inside and stay protected.

Half an hour later, Karin suddenly spoke. "Over this rise. They're flanking either side of the road."

"Hn," Gaara acknowledged. He made a quick hand seal, sending his sand eye above for a look. Sure enough, 12 people with mismatched armour and weapons of various quality were hidden around the road. Well, they would be hidden from the vantage point of the carriage. The birds' eye view of the sand eye showed him each person easily. He signalled back to Bon-Hwa. Then he veeery carefully, very unobtrusively started turning the nearby rocks into sand. He didn't have enough in his gourd for what he wanted to do. He also strengthened his sand armour, and proceeded up ahead of Karin and the carriage by several horse-lengths. He wanted to ensure he would be the first target. The old, familiar bloodlust surged through him. It had been a long time since he had a legitimate target, one which he could obliterate at will.

Karin watched, seeing Gaara begin to blaze as he started to use his chakra. She had an inkling of what he planned, and felt a slight flicker of pity for the bandits. It lasted a split second, and was quickly superseded with battle lust. She controlled the horse with her knees, good hand going to draw a few shuriken and kunai from one of her holsters.

They got closer, close enough that the ambush could spring at any moment. Suddenly, the chakra signals of the bandits began changing from watchful excitement to battle-ready.

"Gaara!" she called his name, warning of the impending action.

"Sabaku _Kyū_!" Gaara shouted, chakra surging from him. Sand rose, binding the bandits, who shouted loudly. "Sabaku _Sōsō_!"

The bandits didn't have time to scream. The only sounds were the sound of the sand rushing in and the wet crunch of bones breaking as the bandits died. Then Gaara released his sand, much of it sliding back into his gourd, the rest of it slumping all over the ground. The corpses of bandits tumbled out.

They heard Chung-Hee make an awed exclamation, and then Karin noticed movement. Turning her attention in that direction, she inhaled sharply. One had been out of the range of the sand. He was drawing a bow on Gaara, intent on killing the one who had slaughtered his band. The bowstring twanged sharply, breaking the silence. Karin's shuriken met the arrow in midair, knocking it from its trajectory. Her kunai met the throat of the bandit, sending him tumbling from the tree in which he'd been perched. He tumbled to the ground. If her kunai hadn't killed him, Gaara's sand certainly finished the job, as he wrapped up the bandit in another wave of sand and crushed him. He was a little pissed off at the pot-shot.

There were no other survivors. Karin's chakra sight revealed nothing alive other than their own party, and scattered wildlife throughout the hills.

"All clear," she said.

"Hn," Gaara nodded.

The carriage remained halted while the guards (Gaara and Karin included) searched the mangled remains of the bandits. Their would-be attackers didn't have much. Each member of the team pocketed about 25,000 won, which worked out to two and a half days' pay for Gaara and Karin. Not much for a band of 12. The arms and armour were mostly worthless, although there were a few decent weapons. There were a few cheap trinkets, but nothing all that special or expensive.

"These bandits can't have been all that successful," Gaara remarked.

"Slim pickings out here. Nothing but herders and the occasional traveller to prey on," Bon-Hwa responded.

Gaara used his sand to bury the corpses and the rejected junk. They left the site of the failed ambush, continuing on their journey.

* * *

"Maybe she's worth full price," Bon-Hwa said to Gaara when they made camp that night. He'd come to the conclusion that Gaara had not been kidding when he'd said he was infamous, and when he'd told Bon-Hwa's charge that people run at his name. "You two coordinated well. Are you sure you've never worked together?"

"Quite. We are both well-trained shinobi. Any from Leaf and Sand should work so well together," Gaara said. Although, it wasn't always the case. Some of the joint teams hadn't worked out so well. Karin was a good spotter with excellent range. She could allow him to direct his sand to where it could do the most damage. Perhaps travelling with her wouldn't be so bad after all, even if she was snarky. At least they could defend themselves effectively.

Dak-Ho stirred his pot over the fire, acting for all the world like he hadn't seen what amounted to the summary execution of 12 people earlier that day. The ladies were again sitting around the fire, drinking water from skins. Chung-Hee was trying to avoid looking at Gaara, and watching Karin quietly. He wasn't trying to flirt tonight. He'd seen her competently knock an arrow from its path and follow through with killing the bandit who shot it. He'd suddenly realized how dangerous it might just be to piss her off too much. She wasn't just a pretty girl who happened to be a bit shrewish. She was a pretty girl with a temper, who could coolly kill a man. She had ice water in her veins, no doubt, he thought.

Gaara and Karin both realized that Chan-Sook must have seen at least part of the fight. Considering that it was over so quickly, that probably meant she'd seen it all. She sat farther from Gaara tonight, and kept giving him scared little glances when she thought he wasn't looking. Gaara ignored it. Karin met the girl's eyes straight on, seeing the nervousness in them. Before this, Chan-Sook had been somewhat taken by the foreign, exotic redheaded man; now, she wasn't sure what to think. Karin was attempting to reassure the girl, but Chan-Sook had seen _her_ kill, too.

Bon-Hwa was just as happy. They were escorting Chan-Sook to her betrothed, a powerful lord, and it wouldn't do for her to become infatuated with a guard, no matter what his rank in his home country. Gaara's casual slaughter of 11 bandits had done more than Bon-Hwa's lectures would ever have to knock some sense into the girl. It had eliminated a threat that could have very well wiped out the group in other circumstances, and all without a single injury to their party. He was pleased with the windfall he'd found in these two shinobi who happened to be going his way.

Byun-Soon, though, was curious. With some nervousness, she went to sit by Gaara. "H-H-How did you learn to do that?" she asked, hesitantly, refusing to look at Gaara as she spoke.

"I have an affinity for sand. I learned chakra control all through my childhood," he replied.

"You must be considered very powerful in your country," Byun-Soon remarked.

"I am."

"He said people run when they hear his name," Chan-Sook said, voice flat, from across the campfire. Now she knew why. Before, she had kind of thought it some kind of bravado meant to impress her – like most her age, Chan-Sook was at the intellectual stage where the world revolved around her. Now, she understood that this was not bravado. He was powerful, frighteningly so. He could kill handfuls of people in cold blood, without even changing expression. It was a sobering realization for Chan-Sook.

The others glanced Chan-Sook's way when she spoke. She'd spoken loud enough for the whole group to hear.

The old loneliness sank into him like claws. Once more, his power had set him apart from his fellow human beings. He'd thought when Shukaku had been removed from him, that he would be able to pass as a normal person if just given a chance. He knew now that would never happen. He was simply too powerful. He was a killer, through and through, and that automatically separated him from civilians.

Karin didn't understand Chan-Sook's words, but she understood the tone and the implications. "He saved your life, stupid girl," she muttered under her breath. Despite the fact that she hadn't meant it to carry, Gaara's sharp ears caught the comment all the same. He turned and gaveher a surprised glance, which, being that this was Gaara, didn't look much different from his neutral face. Karin looked at him briefly, the firelight reflecting off the lenses of her glasses, hiding her red eyes and all that was in them from his view.

That feeling of loneliness retracted just a little. Among his allies he was not feared and hated. Karin had been part of Sasuke's team at the Five Kage's Summit, and as such had faced him in battle. She had every right to fear him. Yet she had taken out the arrow meant for him, without a second thought. And then she'd killed the man who shot it. She was a bitch, yeah, but at least she wasn't afraid. And, maybe she wasn't the only one. Bon-Hwa didn't seem afraid; if anything he seemed _pleased_. Dak-Ho was too hard to read. Chung-Hee and the girls, well, they could be afraid of him, if that's what they really wanted.

"We should get some rest. Gaara, are you ok with second watch again?" Bon-Hwa finally broke the silence, which had grown uncomfortable for everyone, except for Gaara, who was used to people being uncomfortable around him.

"I am," Gaara stated flatly.

"Ask Karin if she will take first watch. I will take third. Chung-Hee, you have the night to sleep."

Gaara translated this quickly to Karin, who indicated her assent. They were interrupted by Chung-Hee, who declared, "Maybe when Karin is done her watch, she should join me," Gaara actually rolled his eyes. Karin understood enough to throw a rock at Chung-Hee, which bounced off the man's chest. He yelped. Then he remembered her shuriken and kunai from before, and felt relieved that it was just a rock.

Even as Karin's resolution to be better behaved that first day had lasted mere hours, it seemed Chung-Hee's lasted even less than that.

Karin took her watch while the rest of the party slept, her back to the embers. No one ever saw anything coming facing a campfire with the flames blinding them, and it kept her back warm. She had an advantage; her chakra sensing abilities would give her knowledge of any complex life that came close enough to threaten them. Other than some large animals in the distance, doing their thing, there was nothing out there this night that was worth noticing. So she used the time on watch to think.

Their situation was certainly better. While she wasn't happy about being gone from Konoha, especially so close to the end of her probation, she found that she was actually _grateful_ that she was stuck out here with Gaara. Taking down 12 bandits would have been difficult without him. Not impossible – she could have done it, none of them were shinobi – but someone would have been injured almost certainly. And Gaara's way was _much_ faster, and decisive. Then again, if Gaara wasn't here, she wouldn't be here either. She wondered if this entitled her to a net sum of zero gratitude.

Before going to wake Gaara, she stood over Chung-Hee's bedroll. Gods, the man was annoying. But he wasn't all that bad looking; though it was a pity about whatever small furry animal died and gave its pelt to that disgrace of a beard he was trying to grow. That's what that patch of hair looked like, to her. She resisted the urge to kick him awake just because, or to drop pine cones in his bedroll, or other such mischief. She needed sleep, and Gaara needed to take his watch.

She dropped to her knees beside her comrade's bedroll. She reached out a gentle hand to touch his shoulder and give him a shake. His hand moved suddenly, quickly and unexpectedly, to seize her by the wrist and twist. Sand instantly enveloped her. She muffled a yelp.

"Gaara! It's me, Karin. It's _your watch_ , dumbass," she snapped in a whisper. His hand released her wrist. The sand retreated back into his gourd.

"Karin. Don't wake me like that," Gaara said, bluntly. He shifted in the bedroll, pushing aside the wool. He'd slept in his gear, as he always did on the road. He sat up, adjusting a holster under his clothes that wasn't quite sitting right.

"How _else_ am I supposed to wake you, then, huh?" She desperately tried to get her heart rate under control. She realized that she had been only a breath from being another splash of gore in the sand.

"Saying 'Gaara, wake up' usually works," he grumbled. "Go to sleep. I'll take the watch," he stated. She found herself obeying his command, rising to go to her bedroll beneath the carriage. Halfway there, she stiffened, tossing him a glare. Fear started to shift towards resentment and anger. So what if he was the Kazekage? She wasn't his subordinate. He had no right to give her orders like that. In the darkness, broken only by the dim glow of the embers, she could make out the pale moon of his face turned in her direction. He shifted, looking off into the surrounding forest, turning his back to the embers just as she had. She decided it wasn't worth the effort of _fighting_ about it tonight, and slipped off to dreamland.

Once more, he spent a handful of hours with his sand out around the perimeters of the camp, alert for danger and alone with his thoughts. This journey had proved to be nothing but annoying so far. Infatuated noblewomen who changed their tunes as soon as he did his job, idiot guardsmen who hit on his companion, lady's maids with a fascination with dangerous men; hell, even supposed allies with bitchy attitudes; would his troubles never cease? All right, Karin had her uses, but she was still annoying. The mental image of her mouth and eyes pinched in an expression of displeasure at something or another came back to him. What a bitch. She'd probably be a lot more attractive if she didn't always look like she'd either bit into a lemon or seen someone kick her puppy. Wait... did he just seriously have that thought?

Dak-Ho, he had no real problems with. The man never reacted much, or said much of anything. He cooked them food and laughed with the others when something was actually funny (even if that was at Gaara's expense, once or twice). Bon-Hwa, he respected. The head guardsman was intelligent, clearly competent, and a good leader. He treated Gaara not as an equal – which would not be entirely appropriate given that he was employing Gaara at the moment – but as a respected and valued subordinate, and a competent warrior. Bon-Hwa did not fear him. It was... refreshing, oddly enough. Chung-Hee was just annoying, in his banter and the way he tried to hit on Karin.

Gaara sighed. A month of this. He had to endure a month of this, then a walk to the port town, and hopefully, he would be on a ship back to Fire country. He could probably take a ship to one of Wind country's ports, but he wanted to see Karin home safely. Her concerns were accurate; after a month plus AWOL, _he_ would send hunter-nin after someone who was a probationer, and he had no doubt that even the soft-hearted Naruto wouldn't see any choice but to do the same. Not that it was something that was likely to be a situation that arose for Gaara, as a rule he did not accept probationary shinobi in circumstances like Karin's. If it had been _him_ making the decision, he would have probably either extradited her or had her executed.

With Gaara to vouch for the fact that this little excursion was unanticipated and unwanted, she would probably keep her life. As hideous as she could be, he didn't want to see her dead for something that wasn't the result of her own actions. Being caught at the wrong place and the wrong time, and caught in an attack meant for him wasn't sufficient reason to hunt her down like an animal and execute her, in his mind.

Those were the thoughts that occupied him all through the quiet night. Nothing stirred at all other than night-moving animals; nothing trod upon the bands of sand he ringed the camp with. When his watch was up, he woke Bon-Hwa quietly and made his report, before crawling back into his bedroll.

* * *

The next morning, Dak-Ho cooked another simple breakfast as they sat around the campfire. The easy camaraderie that had been present the morning before was not there this morning; the events of last night and yesterday were still pretty fresh in people's memories. Karin found herself hoping that their employers would pull the sticks out of their asses and get over it.

"If we make good time today, we will be in a town by nightfall. This town is larger than the village we stayed at the other day; there is supposed to be an imperial healer. Chung-Hee, you can get that shoulder wound checked out," Bon-Hwa told the group as they packed up the camp and got ready to leave. Gaara relayed the details to Karin.

"Imperial healer?" she asked. He shrugged. He knew a little bit about the country from his business dealings with it. It was an 'empire' made up of fragmentary feudal states ruled by petty lords somewhat akin to powered-down daimyō – the states were smaller than the great elemental countries of the Five Countries – more like the border countries which surrounded them. Over all of the tiny kingdoms ruled an emperor, or at least that was what Gaara was given to understand. The emperor's power was weak in the border countries near Wind, so he wasn't firm on how powerful the emperor was in truth. Gaara managed to explain what he knew about the political system as they rode through the morning. Bon-Hwa had put them both on point.

After explaining his understanding of the power structure of the country, they continued the language lesson. It gave Gaara something to do to get his mind off how sore his ass was. He'd still not become fully accustomed to riding. Karin, on the other hand, being a more experienced rider, had quickly fallen back into proper riding habits. She'd been sore the first day and night, but now wasn't so bad off anymore.

There were no bandit attacks on the way to the town, which was just as well. Neither Karin nor Gaara wanted the discomfort that would follow the squelching of a bandit attack. Karin hoped that in time Chan-Sook would wake the hell up and realize that the carriage guards (especially the shinobi) were the only things standing between her spoiled princess ass and rape, murder and despoiling at the hands of bandits, or worse.

It was sundown by the time they reached the town, which was indeed larger than the village they had been in last. Unfortunately, it was too late to visit the healer. Bon-Hwa declared that they would stay the night in the inn, and delay departure until Chung-Hee could get medical attention.

There were multiple inns in this town, and the one they chose had enough rooms for everyone to have their own. In the morning, they woke up scratching, having discovered the reason why the inn had room. No one was particularly happy at breakfast. They ate quickly and went to the healer.

As the middle-aged man began healing Chung-Hee, Karin realized with a start that this was the first chakra user she had yet to meet. The healer was no Sakura, but he was competent. Chung-Hee's injury, a minor gash to his shoulder, was easily healed. The healer fixed him up good as new, and then provided the entire party with small pots of salve for the bug bites when he noticed them all scratching. He'd raised an eyebrow and said the name of the inn they'd stayed at. At Bon-Hwa's nod, he muttered something about telling them time and time again that they needed to deal with that problem.

"In another day we'll be in the lowlands. I don't anticipate too much trouble there; those lands are fairly peaceful. Farmers aren't keen to make war, and it's not known for banditry. Travel will be faster; we are joining the imperial road. There will be places to stay every night," Bon-Hwa told Gaara as they left town.

"And after that?" Gaara asked.

"We'll be four days in the lowlands. After that we go into the jungle for at least a week, and there we'll have to be on alert. That area is still not strongly held by the emperor, and no lord calls it his territory. It's full of small tribes of hunters. Some are friendly and will trade with travellers; others get territorial and try to eradicate any who comes through what they consider their territory."

"You anticipate trouble?"

"It's possible. Territory changes hands rapidly in there; one never knows whether the lands, or the road which passes through are held by friendlies or not. Only the imperial road crews are really immune to the fighting. No one messes with them; they've learned the hard way that disturbing the imperial road or the imperial road crew means a visit from the Imperial Guard."

"What should we do if we detect people?" Gaara asked. He didn't want to paste anyone who wasn't hostile. While he had no aversion to violence when necessary, he had grown up enough to wish to avoid _unnecessary_ violence.

"Let them make the first move. If it's obviously a hostile one, do what you like. If it's a friendly move, we see if we can trade."

"Do we _have_ trade goods?"

"I knew we would be on this road when we set out. I have several packages of goods that I know the people of the jungle value. Coloured beads and spices, mostly. We will trade them for provisions. There are fruits in the jungle which are beyond compare."

"Sounds good," Gaara commented. Four days in settled lands, and then a week slogging through the jungle. He wished he had a machete. He'd probably get a chance to buy one in one of the settlements along the way.


	5. Chapter 4 - Welcome to the Jungle, someone's gonna die!

Chapter 4 – Welcome to the jungle. _Someone's_ gonna die.

* * *

Both Karin and Gaara acquired machetes after being paid out the remainder for their first week of service. They were able to snag a few other supplies, like spare clothes and replacement gear. When Gaara counted the pay, he was surprised to discover that it added to more than what had been agreed upon. She did not complain about this, nor did he. When Gaara confronted Bon-Hwa on the pay discrepancy, the older man had shrugged and mumbled something about danger pay, and then followed up with "You exceeded my expectations and the girl is worth full price, if she can spot an ambush from leagues away." Bon-Hwa was clearly impressed and pleased with his shinobi windfall.

Travel through the settled lands was indeed easy. As the road left the mountains and moved into the terraced foothills and lowlands, it became higher quality; raised and constructed out of well-maintained paved stone rather than the clay and gravel track it had been in the mountains. All around them were rice paddies and fields of vegetables, each field with farm workers out toiling. It rained daily; now they were fully in the rainy season. Both Gaara and Karin purchased rain slickers in one of the little towns along the way. Gaara was unused to all the moisture and found it unnerving, at least at first. By the time they reached the jungle, he was used to it. Karin's jibes about his desert-bred fear of water tapered off over time.

They spent each night in an inn. The inns didn't always have enough space for single rooms (and they'd learned their lesson regarding inns with suspiciously large numbers of free rooms), so members of the group often had to share. Karin was always placed with Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon. Her grasp of the language was definitely improving, enough that she could handle small conversations. The two girls were fairly pedestrian, speaking mostly of fashion and young men. Karin discovered that Chan-Sook was being escorted to a marriage with a northern lord, in exchange for arms and a promise of military support.

When she told him, Gaara had been not at all surprised. "What did you expect? No hime goes randomly travelling over potentially hostile country on a journey of over a month. I figured this was the case," he'd remarked, somewhat contemptuously. Karin's face had burned with frustration over his know-it-all, superior tone. He could at least have thanked her for confirming what he'd guessed. Gaara never noticed her reaction, although he would have dismissed it as another one of her 'moods' if he had.

Before they left the borderland town, Bon-Hwa had all the horses re-shod. The good condition of the road continued into the jungle, which surprised the shinobi, until Bon-Hwa explained that there were imperial road crews through at least once a quarter to keep it maintained. The machetes came in handy for removing vines and other growth that might tangle and get in the way of the carriage and the horses.

After several days with no violence, Chan-Sook gradually forgot her 'trauma' at viewing the fight that saved her hide, and warmed up to Karin and Gaara once more. Chung-Hee had long ago returned to his flirtatious ways, much to the annoyance of both shinobi. Karin was just about ready to castrate him. Gaara simply thought Chung-Hee was a boor.

The first night in the jungle, it was raining too heavily for a fire. They rigged a tarp over their heads as shelter, and camped right on the paving stones. There were no clearings where they could camp.

Chung-Hee took first watch, with Gaara taking second (he'd more or less volunteered for it for the full duration of the trip), and Karin taking third. When Gaara woke Karin, he mentioned that he thought the group might be being watched.

"No one has come close, but I know they're out there," he said.

She spent her watch, using her Kagura Shingan to watch the movements of the 20 or so people who were _definitely_ out there, and _definitely_ aware of the carriage party. Small groups of 3-5 kept coming within a few hundred yards, but the sense that she got from them was curiosity, rather than hostility. Gaara had filled her in on what Bon-Hwa had said of the jungle tribes, so she had an inkling of what to expect.

When the morning came, she haltingly reported to Bon-Hwa, Gaara helping out where necessary.

"These will be traders, I think," Bon-Hwa said.

And so it proved. That day, a small party of tribesmen approached the carriage around noon. They shared a meal of rice fermented against spoilage and fruit (the rice supplied by Bon-Hwa's group, the fruit by the tribesmen), while Bon-Hwa and the head tribesman conversed in a tongue neither Gaara nor Karin knew. Several parcels of beads, spices, and other goods were handed over, in exchange for a pile of fruit and vegetables which Dak-Ho lashed to the top of the carriage.

"Kuronga has informed me that the roads are likely to be safe for at least another day, but after that, we will have to be wary. There is a rival tribe along that way, who are unlikely to take well to outsiders travelling the road," Bon-Hwa said, after the tribesmen left, as they were getting underway again.

"How long we be in their land?" Karin asked, haltingly, in the southerner's tongue.

"Kuronga did not know," Bon-Hwa replied, giving her a nod of approval for her use of the language.

Gaara made some comment in his own language that Bon-Hwa didn't understand, and Karin snapped some reply, kicking off yet another argument between them.

Bon-Hwa watched the two shinobi squabble and argue. They seemed to do that a lot. Despite not being able to understand them when they spoke their own tongue, he could clearly see that Gaara was right about how bitchy the girl was. However, he could also plainly see (even if Gaara couldn't) that the young man's vaguely superior, cold arrogance just provoked her further. The antics of the two redheads were thus far merely amusing; they didn't skirt too close to what he would consider to be true animosity or anything that might spill over and endanger the team.

Suddenly, the argument of the shinobi broke off jarringly as the girl flung one of those black iron knives at something nearby. It struck, and the jungle cat that had been about to pounce on one of the horses fell right out of the tree, twitching as it died from the knife that had pierced its eye and gone straight into the brain. The horses whinnied and sidestepped. Gaara stared at the girl, and everyone else looked from the dead cat to the girl and back again several times.

Karin retrieved her kunai, and Bon-Hwa inspected the corpse. The animal was a juvenile, and clearly underfed. That explained why it had attacked – the jungle cats usually stayed clear of large parties of people and horses. This one was too young, stupid, and hungry to keep to that wisdom, and it had paid with its life.

Its pelt was too sparse and unkempt from malnutrition to make it worth skinning, so Bon-Hwa left it some distance away, where it wouldn't bring scavengers to the road. After doing that, the party continued on their way.

"I wish Kang-Ho and Chin-Hae were still alive," Chung-Hee said, that night, as they sat under the tarp in the rain once more.

"We all miss them," Bon-Hwa replied. Not for the first time, he wished that they had come across the shinobi _before_ that fateful battle. Their comrades would likely still be among the living. But then, if he had come across the shinobi before the fight that killed the two guardsmen, he might have not seen the need for high-priced shinobi.

"What happened?" asked Gaara.

"Much the same as what happened on the mountain road before the town. We were ambushed by bandits. We killed about half, and the rest ran away, but not before our comrades fell," Bon-Hwa said.

"How many bandit?" Karin asked. She listened quite intently to the conversation, straining to pick out meaning. She could pick out enough words to get the general meaning of Bon-Hwa's explanation.

"There were eight," the leader replied.

"You kill four and others go?" she asked. She knew she might be asking him to repeat something, but she was still unclear on precisely what happened.

"Yes. And lost two men. Only our bows saved us. After seeing how you two handled 12, I'm glad to have you with us," Bon-Hwa said.

Gaara nodded. A pair of people who could take out six times their number without injury were invaluable. A scout who could track the movements of nearby friendlies and hostiles both was priceless. Gaara's misfortune at being stranded in an unfamiliar land was Bon-Hwa's stroke of luck, and both men knew it.

"You bow user?" Karin asked.

"That's what we do, baby," drawled Chung-Hee, smirking at her. "There's none better with a bow than we three."

The look she fired Chung-Hee clearly said she was not impressed at his claims. The man smiled back at her, unfazed.

"All this rain must surely be detrimental to your bows," Gaara commented.

"It's not good, no. We have several extra strings, kept in waterproof packets. I'm just as glad you're here. The rain and damp don't seem to affect your martial abilities," Bon-Hwa replied.

"I can't say I like it, but it doesn't make us any less effective. At least it's warm rain," Gaara said.

"He dry place boy," Karin said, slightly mockingly.

"Desert," Gaara corrected, glaring at her.

"Yeah, desert. Water scared," she smirked.

Chung-Hee snorted a laugh at this, and Gaara expanded his glare to include the other man.

"Hardly," Gaara said, coldly and slightly indignant. "I'm not used to this much water, yes, but I can deal with it. I've seen rain before."

"Does it never rain where you are from?" Chan-Sook asked. She'd warmed up to him again, much to Bon-Hwa's dismay and Gaara's annoyance. Both Byun-Soon and Chan-Sook used any opportunity that arose to try to flirt with the foreign man. Gaara tolerated it with disguised contempt, and Karin rolled her eyes whenever they did anything too fawning, conveniently forgetting her own ways at that age.

"Maybe once or twice a year. We get less than 20 millimetres a year from the sky."

"How do you grow crops?" Dak-Ho asked. It was rare that he spoke, so Gaara gave him a mildly surprised look.

"We don't, for the most part. We have community gardens which we irrigate with waste water used for bathing and cleaning, and there we grow a variety of medicinal plants and foodstuffs like melons, but we import most of our food. Drinking water comes from an aquifer fed by an underground river. The size of my village is limited by the availability of water and our ability to import food," Gaara explained.

"Where does your revenue come from?" Dak-Ho asked. For all the man never spoke much, he apparently had a decent grasp of community economics.

"Shinobi," Gaara stated, simply. There were other things – Suna controlled a decent spice route and there were minerals such as gold and gypsum mined in the desert, but Suna's strength and wealth came primarily from its shinobi.

"Is your village also the same?" Dak-Ho asked Karin, who understood enough to know that she was being asked about her village.

"Leaf also have shinobi. Leaf bigger. Leaf have farm, send some food to Sand. Leaf get rain like normal place," she explained.

"Our villages trade quite extensively. We get food such as grain and livestock, and a number of consumer goods from Leaf, and we trade spices, medicinal plants, and minerals mined nearby," Gaara said. "The alliance has been profitable for both of our villages, not to mention the martial benefits." He examined the fruit he was eating. It was tasty. No way it could survive in the desert, he was sure. Maybe it could be grown in Konoha? He decided to pack the seed along with him, back home.

"I see," Dak-Ho said. The conversation shifted off to other topics, and the group finished their supper of fruit and rations.

"Alright people. The sun is going down, let's set the watches," Bon-Hwa finally suggested. As they were still in 'friendly' territory, Bon-Hwa told Gaara and Karin to take the night off; the rest of the trip through the jungle would need both of them on watch each night. Bon-Hwa was expecting trouble for the rest of the trip through the jungle. So, he, Chung-Hee, and even Dak-Ho took watches tonight, to let the two shinobi have a chance to rest.

Gaara almost told him not to bother on his part, but he acceded to Bon-Hwa's wishes. Karin was grateful for a full night's sleep.

The next morning dawned misty and cool, the noises of the jungle oddly hushed and muffled by the fog. They broke camp quickly and started on their journey. Today they would be entering potentially hostile lands, and Bon-Hwa was certainly on alert. Karin used her Kagura Shingan constantly, glad that she'd spent enough time riding now to make it more or less automatic, at least with this horse. She'd taken to calling the chestnut mare Yasashii for her temperament and gait.

By the time the afternoon had rolled around, the coolness had evaporated into a muggy heat that had them all sweating and suffering in its relentless grip. Karin had begun to detect people shadowing the carriage party. She reported this fact promptly, and Bon-Hwa had nodded and looked concern. Throughout the afternoon the unknown people continued to come and go in small groups. They never came closer than a few hundred metres, but they were unmistakably following the group.

"Do you think they will attack?" Gaara asked Bon-Hwa.

"I don't know yet," the leader replied.

"Do these tribes prefer a time?"

"During the day. It is too dark at night to mount an attack or do anything other than try to scout," Bon-Hwa said. "When, I don't know."

It _was_ very dark at night. The dense canopy of the towering jungle giants kept all light from the sky from reaching the road. Lighting a fire was impossible in these conditions – even if it wasn't pouring rain, there was no dry fuel anywhere. The only light at night was luminescent fungi on the forest floor, which did not provide a bright, penetrating light, but more of an ambient glow. It was enough to be seen, but not enough to shed light on anything else. An attacker would have to be mentally deficient to launch an assault in that pitch black. And if they brought a source of light, they would announce their presence to any who set a watch.

The attack came just before noon the next day, during a lull in the rain. Because of Karin, they had warning. She had alerted them immediately when she detected a group of ten individuals, their chakra betraying bloodlust, start making their way to the travellers. Bon-Hwa, Chung-Hee and Dak-Ho strung their bows and checked their quivers. Karin prepared a number of kunai with exploding tags, and Gaara checked his sand. He didn't have nearly enough to wipe out the attackers, and unlike in the mountains, there was no stone to be had anywhere he could find to break down into sand.

"30 seconds!" Karin snapped, bringing the guards to full alert. "They're here!"

A fire-hardened wooden spear flew from an opening in the trees, straight for Dak-Ho. Without thinking, Gaara sent his sand to intercept it, knocking the missile from its path. He deftly took out the three spears that followed on the heels of the first.

It had begun. Sand flew through the air, Gaara intent on preventing harm to the rest of his team. Attack and defence together would be difficult with only half a gourd of sand. So he focused his efforts where he knew he would do the most good; keeping those wooden spears and other projectiles from touching his comrades. Bon-Hwa had warned them all about the dangers of jungle poison.

Karin, Chung-Hee, Bon-Hwa and Dak-Ho were left to formulate an offensive strategy. The rain of spears tapered off, and the attacking tribesmen streamed through the trees, their ululating war cries echoing through air. Karin used her Kagura Shingan to judge where to best throw a kunai with an explosive tag, and three attackers were sent flying with the ensuing explosion. Gaara shielded his allies from the flying splinters and debris.

Bowstrings twanged as the three archers loosed arrows at attackers. The three guardsmen _were_ skilled with their bows. One, she thought it might have been Chung-Hee, shot a tribesman who was about to threaten Karin with a spear, while she was tied up fighting off two others coming at her with stone knives.

Spotting the stone implements of the tribesmen on Karin, Gaara diverted a small amount of his attention to breaking down the knives into sand. It served two purposes; it increased his working supply of sand, even if that increase was pitifully meagre, but more importantly, it rendered their weapons nothing more than wood hilts and rawhide. Spotting her opponents' knives dissolving into sand, Karin grinned viciously and pressed her attack, slashing with her kunai and striking with her feet, until she managed to land a heart-strike on one hostile, and the other turned and ran.

Soft * _twoof_ * noises drew the attention of the beleaguered crew. Blow darts, and given who they fought, those darts were almost certainly poison tipped. Karin felt a stab of concern at that point. They needed to settle this, and fast. She readied another explosive tag, attempting to locate the dart user.

Someone among the attacking tribesmen had realized that Gaara was the controller of the sand, and was intent on neutralizing him. Darts bloomed against his neck and face, three or four of them, before Karin managed to turn the darter into a rain of gore. Seeing Gaara struck by darts, Bon-Hwa blanched, but was not given overlong to worry about his comrade. He was suddenly drawing his sabre to defend himself from a tribesman who had dropped almost on top of him from the canopy above.

Karin went into the trees after another who she suspected was about to whip out a blow dart, and took him out, catching him by surprise. Then she turned her attention back to the road. The attackers, those who survived anyhow, were fleeing. They'd won.

Bon-Hwa turned to Gaara, face full of concern. He dug in his armour for a vial of antidote. He got to the foreign warrior, pulling out the vial.

"I am not poisoned," Gaara stated, calmly. Bon-Hwa stared at him. Before his eyes, the red-haired man's pale skin seemed to suddenly crumble and fall – no, it was sand falling away, sand that had been up against his skin. Armour. The darts had embedded themselves in Gaara's sand harmlessly, never reaching his skin.

And then Chung-Hee fell to the ground, prompting a sudden shout from Dak-Ho. Running to their fallen companion, they saw the dart, a small, delicately fletched sliver of wood, on his hand. Bon-Hwa swore, and popped the stopper on vial, trying to pry open Chung-Hee's mouth. The young man's eyes were staring unseeing, and he was twitching as though having a seizure. Karin and Gaara immediately went to restrain him, Gaara pitching in a helpful hand of sand to pry Chung-Hee's mouth open.

Bon-Hwa poured the antidote down the young man's mouth. Chung-Hee sputtered and coughed, but swallowed. He continued to twitch and jerk for another minute. Karin and Gaara held him down, while Bon-Hwa looked on concernedly.

Finally, the poisoned guardsman stopped thrashing, and lay panting for several moments. His eyes fluttered, opening fully, and fixed on Karin.

"I finally get to wake up in your arms, hey baby?" Chung-Hee croaked.

Gaara caught his fellow shinobi's fist before it could land.

"Leave off, he's wounded," the Suna nin said.

"Hey, you would hit a casualty? Gaara-ssi's right, you _are_ a bitch," Chung-Hee laughed.

Gaara wasn't expecting Karin's fist in his gut. His sand caught some of the impact, but definitely not all of it. With Shukaku gone it wasn't as complete a defence as it used to be, at least not for trivial not-really attacks like this. He chuffed out a breath and dropped Chung-Hee in order to curl around himself. The poisoned man grunted at the impact of his back against the road and then laughed hoarsely. Karin glared at them both and stalked back to her horse, mounting Yasashii deftly, and rubbing her sore fist. She'd understood enough of what Chung-Hee said. So Gaara thought she was a bitch? Screw him.

Gaara finally caught his breath. He'd get her back for that cheap shot somehow. Man, she had a mean right hook.

"We should go. Can you ride, Chung-Hee-ssi?" Bon-Hwa asked.

"I don't know."

"Gaara-ssi, tie Chung-Hee-ssi's horse with the pack horse. Chung-Hee-ssi, you ride up with Dak-Ho-ssi for now. Can you keep him from falling off the carriage?"

"Yes, Bon-Hwa-gun," Dak-Ho replied.

Chung-Hee spent the rest of the day riding on the carriage, dropping in and out of sleep. He was alive. Bon-Hwa had got the antidote to him in time. The young guardsman would recover fully, by the time they left the jungle.

They pushed the horses harder than Bon-Hwa liked, but it was important that they get out of the hostile tribe's territory as fast as possible. Karin kept watch with her technique, keeping Bon-Hwa posted on the movements of the tribe. The tribesmen had retrieved their dead, and still shadowed the carriage, but they kept their distance. Karin thought that they wouldn't try again, at least not soon. They'd lost at least six in the attack on the carriage, and for what gain? Nothing. There was anger and outrage in the chakra of the ones trailing them, but it didn't feel like they were ready to attack again so soon.

They split the watch in two that night, instead of the usual three. Karin and Dak-Ho took first, and Bon-Hwa and Gaara took second. Chung-Hee rested. There would be no watches for Chung-Hee until he'd fully recovered from the poison.

Dak-Ho wasn't known for being garrulous, and Karin's grasp of his tongue was poor enough that they didn't converse much. They passed watch tensely, alert for any signs of trouble. There were none. They handed the watch over to Gaara and Bon-Hwa, and gratefully went to their bedrolls.

Bon-Hwa and Gaara were also not entirely talkative, but they did chat for a bit.

"You didn't crush them with your sand this time," Bon-Hwa stated. It was an oblique question.

"Not enough sand. I used the rocks at the side of the road in the mountains to make sand last time. I only have half my gourd with me. I suppose I could have broken down the paving stones..." Gaara's voice trailed off.

"No, what you did was fine, you defended us well," Bon-Hwa said quickly. In the darkness, Gaara smiled. They'd had a discussion about the roads several days before, when Gaara had been curious about them. Bon-Hwa had informed him that tampering with the imperial roads was a crime punishable by imprisonment and possibly even execution, depending on the extent of the damage and the intent behind it. And, he'd said, the imperial road crews always knew who had done the tampering.

"Do you think they'll attack again?" Gaara asked.

"I hope not. I don't think so. From what Karin-ssi says, they are just tailing us now. We hurt them pretty bad, possibly bad enough to make them decide we're not worth the trouble."

"Hn," Gaara said. He was pretty sure that Bon-Hwa was correct.

"What happened there with you three after the fight? I wasn't able to hear, but from what I saw, Chung-Hee-ssi said something, and the little firebrand hit _you_ ," Bon-Hwa's voice was amused.

Gaara blushed hotly. At least it was too dark to be seen. "He said 'Gaara-ssi's right, you are a bitch,'" Gaara mumbled, quieter than usual.

Bon-Hwa muffled his laughter, and Gaara blushed more. "Ah, so that's why she went after _you_. She has spirit, that one."

"She's a bitch," Gaara muttered.

"Careful there, Gaara-ssi. You might earn another fist."

"She's sleeping."

"Women have ears like you wouldn't believe. And they notice the darnedest things. Things you wouldn't even _think_ are issues become big deals to them."

Gaara grunted noncommittally.

"Do you like the little firebrand?"

"What makes you say that?' Gaara asked, a little too quickly and defensively. Of _course_ he didn't like Karin... She was infuriating!

"You two fight like an old married couple," Bon-Hwa chuckled. It was true. Any conversation between the two shinobi that wasn't strictly functional seemed to always somehow turn into an argument.

"She's annoying," he insisted, again far too quickly. Every now and then he was tempted to stuff her mouth full of sand and just leave her behind. The only reason he refrained, was because he felt duty-bound to return her to Naruto. He suspected his friend would want her back _intact_ , to boot, so that ruled out dismembering her and bringing back the pieces. That and she looked better intact. He was suddenly finding it hard to keep out mental images of her, her delicate chin and fine skin, her hair and eyes the same vivid red colour, the sight of her face in a rare unguarded moment when she didn't realize anyone was looking and looked something other than cranky, the hint of alluring scent that followed her everywhere... Gaara almost growled. This wasn't what he wanted to think. Concentrate on keeping watch.

"You two would no doubt have redheaded babies," Bon-Hwa stated lightly.

Gaara choked. "We're from different villages!" he hissed. No, that's not what he meant to say! He meant to say 'there's no way in hell,' or 'I have no interest in her,' not something as... _minor_ as that.

"Wouldn't that just strengthen your alliance?"

"Let's talk about something else," Gaara said, curtly.

In the darkness, Bon-Hwa smiled. He'd been watching these two, and had noticed that despite how they argued (or perhaps because of it), there were still signs that they found something to like in each other. Karin often watched Gaara when she didn't think anyone was looking her way. Gaara did the same to her. For all his coolness and apparent indifference to her, he still reacted when Chung-Hee tried to flirt with her. It was more than simple fiduciary duty; there was something territorial about it.

When morning broke, they breakfasted quickly and got going as quickly as possible. Bon-Hwa wanted them out of the jungle as fast as they could. By his count, they had another three days or so before they got to the edge of the slash and burn lands. Though he didn't speak about it overmuch, Gaara was more than eager to get out of the jungle. It hadn't really stopped raining since they'd entered. Instead, the precipitation had varied from torrential downpour to misty drizzle. This kind of thing had to be hell on the bowstrings of the other guards.

Karin, too, wanted out of here. She was tired of the heat, tired of the damp, and tired of finding bugs crawling on her just about everywhere. Shino would be transported with _joy_ at this place.

The day after the tribesmen's attack passed without incident. Karin kept track of the small groups that tailed them on their journey; groups of about 3-4 people, never getting closer than about 300 metres. It was quite likely that the hostile tribe didn't want to lose any more people to an attack on the carriage party. Gaara hoped it was the case. He didn't know how much antidote Bon-Hwa brought, but that poison could be very dangerous. Chung-Hee spent the entire day beside Dak-Ho, who kept an eye on the young man and kept him from falling off the carriage more than once. There was no way Chung-Hee would have managed to stay in a saddle that day.

The double watches continued again that night, and the next. Bon-Hwa, realizing that both shinobi were effective spotters, split the watches in such a way that either Gaara or Karin was on watch at any given time. Karin didn't mind passing watch with Bon-Hwa or Dak-Ho, but she was glad that Chung-Hee was judged unready to resume watch. Having to put up with his attempts at flirting for several hours a night would have been unbearable. She had conveniently forgotten how she herself had been several years ago.

Though he would never consciously admit it, Gaara, too, was pleased with the arrangement, both in not sharing a watch with Karin, and Karin not sharing a watch with Chung-Hee. Gaara's attitude towards the poisoned guard was growing colder and colder the more the man insisted on ineptly pursuing Karin. Karin didn't want anything to do with him. Watching Chung-Hee pester her was starting to annoy Gaara. He tried not to think of the conversation he'd had with Bon-Hwa. Of course he didn't _like_ Karin. There was _no way_ that could happen. But, he was responsible for her, wasn't he?

Three nights of double watches and they had apparently gotten far enough away that they were no longer in the enemy tribe's territory. Karin was unable to sense hostiles for most of that day. And the next day brought them out of the jungle, at last. The termination of the jungle was abrupt and quite shocking – both shinobi had expected some sort of transitional land where the thick forest gradually tapered off. Instead, they discovered what Bon-Hwa was talking about when he told them they would be reaching the slash and burn lands. One moment they were hacking lianas from the carriage path, the next moment they were blinking at the overcast sky and looking out over stumps, shrubs, and grasses.

"What happen here?" Karin asked, as the three riders gathered in front of the carriage to gaze out over the land.

"Slash and burn. Farmers cut down the jungle and burn the vegetation to create pasturage for their cattle. They're not cutting now because it's the rainy season. But as soon as it dries out, they'll be back. It's part of why the jungle tribes are so hostile lately to outsiders. These farmers have been chipping away at the jungle for years now. It used to extend at least another day's ride," Bon-Hwa said.

"Do you need me to translate?" Gaara asked.

"No, I understand," Karin said, in their own tongue. "That's terrible. All I could think about riding through there is what someone like Sakura could do with all those plants. There must be thousands of poisons and cures in there. And these people are burning it down? Is land at such a premium that they need to do this?"

Holy shit, Karin was capable of thinking of something _other_ than herself? Stop the press! Gaara eyed her briefly with something akin to surprise, though she didn't notice. She was too busy gazing in shocked awe at the deforestation before them.

"I don't know," Gaara said, again in their tongue. Then he switched to the language of the empire to ask Bon-Hwa. "Karin wants to know if land is so dear that they have to tear it from the jungle like that."

"There's enough land, I think. It's the way it's parcelled out. This province is at war with its neighbour, and the neighbour keeps taking pasturage. So the herders keep taking from the jungle," Bon-Hwa remarked.

"Thus causing war with the people of the jungle. This province is fighting a war on two fronts. That's a recipe for loss," Gaara said.

"I know," Bon-Hwa agreed. "This land will be fairly safe for us, but we must be wary once we cross into the neighbouring province, the one that is attacking this one. That province is also at war with Chan-Sook's betrothed.

"They are also fighting a war on two fronts, and they are succeeding in taking land?" Gaara was a little surprised at this.

"Yes. It is a very large province. The lord of that province wishes to increase his holdings, and he is succeeding."

"Does your emperor not care that his provinces war amongst themselves?" Gaara couldn't believe that.

"This far away from the capital, no. He doesn't care, so long as the taxes come when they are supposed to, the levies come for the Imperial Guard, and no one touches the road. It's all politics. The representatives from the provinces will argue different things at court to vindicate themselves; the emperor usually just ignores the squabbling of the provinces."

"He allows his subject states to maintain armies of their own?"

"Yes. The Imperial Guard is powerful. What is a provincial army to the Imperial Guard? A hundred soldiers in the provinces would not be able to stand against _ten_ from the Imperial Guard," Bon-Hwa said. "They can be anywhere in the empire in _days_ , using the roads. Only the Imperial Guard can travel like that."

What was this Imperial Guard? Gaara and Karin both wondered about the nature of the guard, if it was that powerful. What set them apart as so different? It wasn't the first time the guard had been mentioned, or the first time that they had wondered this.

"But we have had enough of a chat. I think we should get the carriage rolling again. If we hurry, we should make it to an inn by full night," Bon-Hwa said, and they resumed their journey.


	6. Chapter 5 - Uncomfortable Conversations for EVERYONE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hihi my lovely readers! Here is this week's installment of my glorious slop. I was so bushed when I posted last week that I never summoned the energy to write a note - though I don't know how much that matters to you. Yes, I read every one of your reviews and cherish them. I'm glad to see that I'm hooking some of you guys on more than just this - hi That_Legend_Died! Yes, I'm actually writing more in Those Whom The Gods Desire, and yes, it will have an end. It goes somewhere. I'm working on those chapters behind the scenes, with breaks to help beta for others in between. I'm helping Seltap with one of her (I think Seltap is a her) stories, called Mother's Song. It's got some promise and I'm loving it. If you like Gaa/Saku, check it out.
> 
> Special thanks to 93d1c5 as always!

After just around a week in the jungle, it was nice to be back in an area where they could have hot food and sleep in beds at night. Karin was particularly grateful for baths and the ability to launder her clothes. Her fist-pump and cry of 'yes!' when Bon-Hwa confirmed that the inn did indeed have both laundry and bathing facilities demonstrated her glee quite clearly to the rest of the group. Not even Chung-Hee's offer to help her wash could dampen her good cheer. She flipped him the bird and ignored him.

Gaara wasn't quite so demonstrative, but he, too, was grateful for a chance to clean himself and his clothes. The jungle had consistently been both hot and wet, and the young Kazekage was acutely aware that he was sticker and sweatier than he ever wanted to be. The arid desert had a tendency to evaporate sweat away, but this jungle was a moist heat. Sweat went nowhere except in trails down his skin and clothes, to mingle with any rainwater and drip from leaves that escaped his poncho. He was glad he'd bought a waterproof pack with the poncho before they entered the jungle. He was pretty sure that his Kazekage robes of state would be fairly well mildewed by now if he'd kept them under his gourd as usual.

They'd arrived in the town after sundown, and only the inn and public house were open. Bon-Hwa got them rooms and arranged for the night. The inn had a modest public bath, and no one was really surprised when Karin and the two girls made a beeline for the women's bath after dropping their stuff off in their room. It was a sentiment the men shared, although they didn't rush like the women had. However much they might have liked to. The men were silently just as eager for the baths, though not as obvious about it.

"Didn't like the jungle much, eh Gaara-ssi?" Chung-Hee asked while the shinobi was towelling his hair dry.

"I don't recall it as being very nice place for you either, Chung-Hee," Gaara replied wryly. "But I will admit the jungle has taught me that there is indeed such a thing as _too much rain_." He'd known, on an intellectual level, that the country southwest of his had a rainy season. It was another thing entirely to experience it. Gaara grimaced. He was used to heat. The humidity, on the other hand, made what should have been easy enough for him to ignore into something absolutely miserable.

Dak-Ho, who was dressing nearby, chuckled at Gaara's comment. Chung-Hee grinned. The men finished clothing themselves, Gaara taking just a fraction longer due to the many hidden weapon holsters and belts under his outfit. The youngest guardsman had nearly choked when he'd finally seen how many weapons Gaara was packing. Bon-Hwa and Dak-Ho had merely given the collection of weaponry slightly impressed glances. These two shinobi had yet to give Bon-Hwa a cause to regret taking them on, despite their incessant sniping at one another. Gaara finished buckling the last of his belts and harnesses, and went to shoulder on the gourd, which was resting over in a corner.

"Hey, how much does that thing weigh, anyway?" Chung-Hee asked. Gaara shrugged. He dropped the strap he was about to heft up and gestured to Chung-Hee.

"Go ahead and try to move it," the redhead smirked. Bon-Hwa and Dak-Ho watched as Chung-Hee attempted to lift the sand gourd. Gaara leaned against the wall and continued to look smug. The guardsman couldn't even budge it. Finally, he gave up, letting out a breath of exertion and stepping back. Gaara returned to his gourd and shrugged it on effortlessly.

"That shit is _heavy_ , I don't know how you do it, man," Chung-Hee admitted; something like respect in his voice.

"It's part of me," Gaara said. "I don't notice the weight."

"How do you keep the straps from breaking?" Ah, yes, practical Dak-Ho. It was something Gaara had never been asked before, not that many people were brave enough to ask Gaara about his sand. Dak-Ho was a pragmatic man.

"Chakra-infused leather. There are crafters in my village who make the harnesses and flak jacket. They've been designed to withstand a lot of abuse. But I need to replace them regularly, because they do wear out," Gaara explained.

"Does everyone in your village use chakra?" Bon-Hwa asked, as they made their way to the common room. Food would be sent up to the girls and Karin (who stayed with them while at inns for added security), but the men usually took supper down in the common room together.

"No. My village has a civilian population. Most civilians aren't chakra users. Usually if someone has significant chakra, they become shinobi, but there are some skilled craftsmen who use chakra. Such as the maker of my harnesses," Gaara said. "I have noticed in this country that there do not seem to be many chakra users. The only one I recall seeing was the healer." It was an oblique question. The guardsmen exchanged glances.

"Most chakra users work directly for the empire," Chung-Hee replied.

"I see," Gaara said. He got the feeling that there was something that was going unsaid, but wasn't sure if it was worth pursuing. He wasn't here to assess this country's chakra users. He was trying to get home. It wasn't likely to be a military matter, as the empire had either unfriendly mountains to cross or an ocean to sail, if it wished to attack Five Countries. If the guardsmen and the bandits were any indication, the people in this country preferred to conduct their warfare without chakra. Gaara gave it no more thought, and turned his attention to the food. It certainly was nice to have hot food for a change. Gaara quite liked the cooking in this country.

Karin, too, found the food agreeable. It was much the same as inn fare elsewhere in the country – rice, stir-fried greens, more of that spicy pickled cabbage the locals termed 'kimchee,' and thin strips of barbequed beef. However, Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon complained about the 'peasant fare,' and disdained the food.

"At least it hot food," Karin stated. "And we dry and clean."

"This is true," Byun-Soon agreed. "I was tired of all that rain. I hope you do not have to travel through the jungle often, my lady. Gukgong Beong-Kyun-gun lives so far away from home." That was Chan-Sook's lord, Beong-Kyun. Every now and then the girls would talk about him. Most of it was speculating on how he looked, since neither girl had ever seen the man. All they knew was that he was young for a lord, which meant maybe Dak-Ho's age. Karin wondered if it bothered the girl that she was being married off to someone who could be twice her age or older, and then decided she didn't want to know. It wasn't her business. Getting the hime to her lord alive and unharmed was her business - and getting back to Konoha, of course.

"I know. Somehow I don't think I will be making many visits home, not when it takes more than a month by carriage. And the jungle was _miserable_. I never want to go through it again!" Chan-Sook whined. Karin rolled her eyes, though she privately agreed with the girl. However, Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon had the benefit of the carriage sheltering them through the slog through the jungle. Karin, instead, got to ride in a saddle that was made no more comfortable by the constant drizzle, on a horse who was as sick of the rain as she was, hacking away at vines and killing the occasional jungle predator that ventured too close.

"All of this for iron. It had better be worth it," Byun-Soon sighed.

"Iron?" Karin asked.

"Yes, don't you know? My betrothed is called Iron Lord Beong-Kyun, because his province produces the best iron in the empire. My bride price is one hundred wagons of the best ingots, and three of the best sword smiths in Danpung province," Chan-Sook said. She sounded just a bit smug. Karin's eyes widened. Her grasp of the language was still poor, but she had numbers down. One hundred wagons of ingots _was_ a lot of iron. Was the girl exaggerating?

"That many iron," Karin said.

"You mean that's a lot of iron?" Byun-Soon asked. Karin nodded, repeating the phrase.

"It good bride price," Karin remarked.

"My father thought so too. Which is why I'm making this journey." Chan-Sook made a face and sighed. "I hope he's handsome. I know it's probably too much to hope for, but I still hope for it. Do your people have bride prices?"

"Nobles do. Some shinobi great house do," Karin replied.

"What about you? What would _your_ bride price be?" Chan-Sook asked.

Karin blinked. _Her_ bride price. Her family was dead; the little village she had been a part of had been overrun and destroyed long before Orochimaru found her. And it wasn't like her dead master would have ever let her marry; now that she was old enough to understand some of the things she'd lived through, she knew she would have probably been bred like livestock to another one of Orochimaru's collection in order to obtain some new combination of bloodline limits. And now, well, she was merely a probationer. She briefly had a mental image of going to Naruto to ask about bride prices, and imagined his stunned, incredulous look. She snorted.

"No bride price," she stated, with some amusement. "Not noble. Not great house. Just kunoichi. Also, I tainted goods."

Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon goggled at her.

"You've _been with a man_?" Chan-Sook asked. Byun-Soon covered her mouth to hide her nervous giggle. "What was it _like_?"

Karin stared at the girls, astounded. Did they not have sex education in this empire? But then again, as a kunoichi, seduction was part of her training. Among the nobility even in the Five Elemental Countries, it was probably fairly typical for a princess to go to her wedding bed an ignorant virgin. She took pity on the girls. Besides, this ought to be entertaining.

"First time hurt. I not care because I wanted it. Times after that was fun," Karin said.

"It _hurt_?" The girls were wide eyed.

Karin nodded. She would have to try to explain about maidenheads to these two girls using her crappy language skills and poor vocabulary. This should be interesting. She had a brief mental image of Gaara attempting to translate what she was going to be trying to tell these girls and had to stifle a laugh. She'd seen him blush from some of Chung-Hee's teasing, and seen him blush for her sake. This conversation would turn him as red as his hair.

"Yes it hurt, but just for little while. Then it got better," she attempted to explain about hymens. This segued into a discussion about the merit of foreplay, with which the pain would be less. The girls were absolutely fascinated with all Karin had to say, and gave her their full attention. Karin was enjoying herself.

"Who was your first?" The question caught her flat-footed, though she should have expected it. Karin froze, frowning.

"Uchiha Sasuke," she said.

"Who is that?"

"He famous outlaw, from Konoha great house. He..." She didn't know any words in their language to explain just what a cockmonger Sasuke was. "He bad man. But I not know that then. I thought I love him, then he try to kill me." Man, didn't _that_ just bring back bad memories.

"Why would he do that?" Chan-Sook asked, breathlessly.

"I was in his way. He put sword through me to get enemy. I almost die," Karin said.

"What a jerk!" Chan-Sook said.

"At least you're still alive," Byun-Soon said, weakly.

"Yes," Karin agreed. The girls were quiet for a little while. Because seriously, what do you say to someone when you find out that the person who took their virginity tried to kill them? But curiosity burned in the two teens, and Chan-Sook was the first to succumb to it.

"Who came after that?"

"Oh," Karin laughed, "Shiranui Genma. He charmer." That had been a fun couple of weeks. It had started over two years ago, after a particularly wild Spring Festival party and one too many cups of illegally obtained sake. She somehow retained full memories of that night, and she was pretty glad of it. They were good memories. He was just a fling, but it had been fun, and he'd remained a friend, since.

"Is he also a shinobi?" Byun-Soon asked.

"Yes, he a jōnin of Konoha like me. He know how to use his—," Karin stuck out her tongue and tapped it. The two teens gave her identical stunned looks.

"Men can use _tongues_ too?" Chan-Sook breathed. Karin couldn't help it, she laughed.

"Yes," she managed between chuckles. "And it _good_." Oh Kami, at this rate, she'd be discussing the finer points of giving head before the night was through. Poor virgins.

"Hey Karin," Byun-Soon began, giving Chan-Sook a sidelong look that told Karin the girl was up to something, but she wasn't sure if it was at her expense, or at the hime's. "Have you been with Gaara?" she asked, coyly.

Karin coughed, turning bright red, a pure jolt of _something_ going through her at the question. Chan-Sook gave her maid a look that could probably drop a charging rhinoceros. Everyone knew about Chan-Sook's raging crush on Gaara, including Gaara, who was none too pleased by it and did his best to avoid the girl.

Karin finished coughing and caught her breath. "No I have not," she choked out. Ok, that was enough for one night. Time to get these girls to go to sleep. She could tell them about how to suck cock another night. "We should sleep now. Long day tomorrow." Her tone brooked no argument. Both of the girls technically ranked her, but they deferred to her almost automatically, pouting at her suggestion.

They slipped off to sleep before she did. She lay in the darkness with her Kagura Shingan, watching for any sign of hostile movement, and trying to dissect the strange feeling that she'd felt at Byun-Soon's question. Gaara was an asshole. Yes, he was a good looking asshole, with way too much chakra (chakra she could see blazing even one floor and several doors away, as he lay curled in bed, sleeping; chakra that _roiled_ with power and was entirely too alluring…). But, he was definitely still an asshole. She couldn't _honestly_ be attracted to him, could she? To his chakra maybe, but to _him_? She had enough of self-absorbed, arrogant bastards when Sasuke had exited her life in that dramatic fashion.

So why then did a part of her heat up at the thought of what Gaara might look like naked, face flushed and eyes hot? Why couldn't she push away the question of whether he had red hair down below or if he was as bald as his eyebrows? Why couldn't she stop wondering if he was hung? Damn those girls. She didn't want to be thinking about this, stuck in an inn room, Kami knows how many clicks from her home in Konoha, where she didn't know if she'd be welcomed back with open arms or with an execution.

She sighed and rolled over, finally deciding to try to sleep.

* * *

"Something about a night in a real bed, after a real bath and real food, really makes one feel human again," Karin declared to Gaara at breakfast, using their own tongue. He actually did something that almost looked like a smile, though it was tiny.

"Indeed," he agreed, turning to the fried rice and eggs on his plate.

"What'd she say?" Chung-Hee asked. Gaara translated, and the youngest of the guardsmen threw in his agreement.

"Then we'll all get to spend a few days feeling human. There will be inns each night for the next three nights, and then we will be taking a side road," Bon-Hwa said.

"Why a side road?" Gaara asked. Karin listened intently.

"Because then we will be crossing the border."

"Ah. We will be going through a hostile province then?" Gaara asked.

"Yes. It is best to take a less well-known road. The imperial highway is easy, but everyone travels it, and it would be easy to be spotted on it. I have arranged to have a guide to take us through Gughwa province through a secret route."

"So cold camps, and double watches again?" Gaara stated.

"Exactly," Bon-Hwa said.

"What is land like?" Karin asked.

"It'll be plains through here, but Gughwa province gets into foothills and mountains, and thick conifer forests," Bon-Hwa informed them.

"Bandit country," Gaara said, and the leader nodded. Karin looked thoughtful. Foothills and mountains could be difficult to navigate, and often contained blind valleys and canyons and places where ambushes could be staged easily. She knew she'd be earning her keep on this leg of the journey, if she hadn't already. Gaara knew at least there would be a steady source of sand in all the rocks that were sure to be around them.

"Some of the 'bandits' may be in the pay of someone. From now on we will try to avoid using Chan-Sook's name ever in public, or even in front of the guide."

"Not a problem," Gaara said. Karin agreed.

"We're almost halfway through the journey now. A little more than two weeks and we will be in Danpung city and you two can go on your way a little bit richer," Bon-Hwa stated. Karin grinned at that.

"And then it is a week to Beullu Sawon?" Gaara asked.

"By foot, yes. And you should be able to hire a ship to Five Countries. There are fairly regular sailing vessels and steamships with trade to the Five Countries."

"Are you sure you want to go back there? I hear they're all crazy there. You could always stay here and be my wi— _ooof_!" Chung-Hee cut off as Karin's well-aimed kick found him across the table from her.

"Eat a cock, eggplant-brain," Karin muttered in her own language. Gaara stifled something that sounded suspiciously like an amused snort at Karin's statement.

"I don't want to know, do I?" Chung-Hee gasped, looking at Gaara and holding his injured parts.

"No," Gaara stated. "I am not repeating that in front of the girls."

"Karin?!" Chung-Hee breathed, "You would speak like a soldier in front of the ladies? You're a woman after my own heart. Be mine tonight, Karin, I don't care if you think you want to go back to your barbarian country, you'll change your mind after one night with – _aack_!" His chair scraped as he pushed himself backwards to avoid her flying foot from under the table, tipping over his seat and dumping himself on the ground.

"I don't think you did yourself any favours," Gaara told her dryly, in their own tongue. Karin sighed and thumped her head against a clear spot on the table. Byun-Soon giggled at this.

"Come on, everyone. We have a long day ahead of us," Bon-Hwa stated.

"You _always_ say that in the morning. We _always_ have a long day ahead of us," Chan-Sook sighed.

"We're halfway there now, my lady. There will be an end to the long days, I promise," Bon-Hwa told her.

After two weeks in the saddle, Gaara was a much better rider. At least he'd gotten used to the ache in his backside every night and the stiffness in the morning that evaporated readily enough as he got moving. Karin, too, had adjusted quite well. Both of them were fairly wise to the ways of their mounts by this point. Bon-Hwa had Gaara and Karin holding up the rear while he and the newly recovered Chung-Hee took point.

Karin was munching on a ration bar idly, controlling her mount with her legs. Gaara paced his horse nearby, looking rather bored. He had apparently tired of looking out into the peaceful countryside.

"So," said Karin, "Two more weeks, huh?"

"Or thereabouts," Gaara stated.

"And then a week to this 'Beullu Sawon' place, and we take a boat," Karin said. Gaara grunted. He wasn't feeling all that conversational.

"Did you manage to find out more about this Gughwa province we're going into?" Karin asked.

Gaara grunted again.

"Are you just going to sit on that horse and grunt all day?" Karin's tone was a bit snarky. Gaara raised a somewhat irritated eyebrow at her.

"Are you just going to chatter mindlessly all day?" Gaara sniped back.

"Mindlessly? I'm asking about relevant tactical details. Like what kind of forces we might be up against in this other province," Karin snapped. "Kami, you're such a dick. How the hell can your village stand you?"

Gaara's nonexistent brow beetled in anger at that. It was something of a sore spot, given his childhood and all the efforts he'd made at redeeming himself since. He glowered back at her.

"I am the most powerful shinobi in the village," he growled.

"Yeah, and apparently that's the limit of your qualifications, because you're kind of a social failure."

 _She_ was one to talk. Gaara glared. "I've earned my position. _You_ , on the other hand, are merely a bitchy probationer. How you even managed to become an S-ranked criminal I'll never guess. You had to be riding on the Uchiha's coattails."

Karin bristled, face going dark. He'd hit her in a sensitive spot – the part of her who took pride in strength and resented that most of the time it seemed to come from other people rather than herself. Gaara was such an ass. How the _hell_ did he get under her skin so easily? She shouted back an insult that Bon-Hwa and Chung-Hee were able to hear from their position on point.

Bon-Hwa rolled his eyes. The two shinobi were at it again. Half a day, that's how long the inn's peace had lasted. Despite the fact that they worked very well as a team in a fight, they seemed ever eager to be at each other's throats when battle did not threaten.

"Those two sure fight a lot," Chung-Hee commented.

"I'm surprised one hasn't tried to kill the other yet, to be honest," Bon-Hwa sighed.

"Oh, I hope they don't do that. Karin-ssi is too cute to die," Chung-Hee said. He had no illusions who would win in _that_ fight. "I wonder what it is they're yelling. There's a few words that stick out, I'll have to ask Gaara later what they mean. She yells 'teme' all the time, and he responds with 'kono ama.'"

"Who knows?" Bon-Hwa shrugged.

That night, Chung-Hee asked Gaara the meaning of the words when the men were eating supper and Karin was in the carriage with the girls. Gaara glared at his plate and gave the translations, 'bastard' and 'you bitch.' This, naturally, set Chung-Hee to laughing.

"You two argue a lot," Dak-Ho commented.

"She's a bitch," Gaara grumbled. "And she won't shut up."

"I told you what you should do about girls who _won't shut up_ ," Chung-Hee teased. Sure, he wanted Karin, but he had no problems teasing Gaara. Karin still showed no signs of falling for the young guardsman's charms, alas.

Gaara blushed bright red and was completely silent, which only made Chung-Hee laugh harder. The shinobi tried to force the sudden invading mental image of Karin with a mouthful of his cock from his mind. He pushed some limp greens around his plate aggressively and glowered at no one in particular.

"Enough." Bon-Hwa's single word cut off the young guardsman before he could follow up with whatever embarrassing taunt he was about to try next. Gaara finished his meal quickly and excused himself, heading for his inn room. He tried not to think of how much fun it might be to paste Chung-Hee or Karin.

Thoughts of enveloping Karin in his sand were dangerous, they segued into images of her restrained and bent into compromising positions. Fantasy-Karin moaned as he bent her over with her sand, and the imagined sound went straight to his crotch. In a foul and frustrated mood, Gaara attempted to relieve the uncomfortable pressure his thoughts had brought him, and finally drifted off to an unrestful sleep filled with dreams that only made the frustration worse.

The passage through the neutral province was uneventful, save for the squabbling of the shinobi during the day. At night, Karin would continue her attempts at sex-ed with the girls. During the day, she would either practice her language skills if she was with Chung-Hee or Bon-Hwa, or argue incessantly with Gaara. He never saw the furious looks she would throw his way after arguments, when his back was to her. Seriously, how was it that he could incite her like that? And how on earth could she _continue_ to feel any attraction to him when he was such a callous asshole? Karin felt a desperate mix of loathing and longing for him that confused and devastated her. Constant exposure to his blazing chakra did nothing to improve her mood.

And Gaara, well, he spent many uncomfortable moments in the saddle. Somehow, all this sniping and backbiting and arguing had developed a strange effect on him. Every time he argued with her, he could not avoid fantasizing about restraining her with his sand, or tying her up, and taking her, forcing her to submit and finally _be silent_. Gaara had never had sex. Hells, before now, he'd never really had sexual feelings towards another real live human being. But Karin brought out both his aggression and his lust and it was uncomfortable and confusing and frustrating and did nothing to cool his temper, which naturally only fuelled their battles further.

And Bon-Hwa crossed his fingers and hoped that the inevitable blowout between these two would wait until after he'd delivered Chan-Sook to her fiancé. Chung-Hee, goofy as he was, had noticed Gaara's attraction for Karin, and the guardsman resented the attention Gaara gained from her. Sure, that attention was her wrath and the sharp side of her tongue, but Chung-Hee knew that as long as Gaara was inciting her, there would be no room in her attention span for him. Not that there _was_ to begin with, but a guy could _hope_ , damn it.

Chan-Sook watched Gaara and Karin fight from within the carriage, puzzling at the foreign language, and trying to figure out a few key insults for later. She'd led a pretty sheltered life, and as such, clung to every opportunity to educate herself in swears and insults that she could get. The naive 16-year-old, knowing little about the ways of the heart, was firmly convinced that Gaara hated Karin. In truth, Gaara didn't _hate_ her, but she angered him, and there was a lot of other stuff mixed in with that, like frustration and lust. Chan-Sook saw only that the woman she viewed as teacher and rival was on the receiving end of his anger and therefore out of the running.

Byun-Soon, her loyal maid, attempted to sow what division she could between Karin and Gaara by dropping completely unsubtle hints that Chung-Hee favoured the redheaded girl. Karin and Gaara, however, were already _well_ aware of Chung-Hee's desire for her. It only served to annoy them, and they were both forced to keep their annoyance under wraps.

Even so, Karin kind of liked the girls, despite the fact that they were engaging in typical adolescent drama. She knew that she was supposed to be a good example for them. She was trying _not_ to be bitchy with them. Gaara just preferred silence, period.

So this part of the journey passed uneventfully yet frustratingly for all involved. Gaara and Karin fought, secretly lusting after each other, Chung-Hee not-so-secretly lusted after Karin, Chan-Sook nursed her crush, and Bon-Hwa sighed and swore internally that if the shinobi weren't so clearly worth the effort, he would wash his hands of them both.

In the last town in the grasslands they met their guide, and started on the trail through Gughwa after spending the night in the inn. Karin bid it a wistful farewell. She'd acquired a tent along the way (they all had, it _was_ the rainy season and no one wanted to sleep in a bedroll under the rain, and as soon as they split off from their party, she wouldn't have the carriage floor to sleep on), but she would miss beds. At least for the next several days.

The guide was a smallish man by the name of Leung Myun-Dae. He had the characteristic black hair and dark eyes of his countrymen, and was in his early 20s. He seemed slightly surprised at the presence of the two shinobi, but he made no comment. He quickly disregarded Karin's presence altogether, apparently not believing that a woman could be a competent guard. Gaara disliked him immediately. Karin wasn't much fonder of him. Myun-Dae spoke to her like one might speak to a small child, and with a great deal of patronization. However, a job was a job, and both shinobi stifled their distaste.

Despite the need to keep from attracting too much attention, Karin and Gaara continued to squabble constantly. They did, however, switch to hand language and gestures rather than out and out shouting matches. The atmosphere between the two practically crackled with fury, most of the time. Bon-Hwa did his best to curb it by trying to make sure they didn't ride point or tail together, but with a caravan this small, it was impossible to keep them entirely apart.

The terrain changed as they travelled, going from fields tended by peasant farmers, to rolling scrubland foothills where vast herds of cattle could be seen roaming in the distance, to thick coniferous forests as the foothills began to give way to mountains. They were not on the imperial highway, and the road they took was in some places no more than a muddy track. The ceaseless rain made it all the worse. Several times, Gaara had to use his sand to help free the wheels of the carriage from the mire, which annoyed him to no end.

The evenings and mornings were uncomfortable for them all. Between the rain and the need for secrecy there was no fire. They kept cold camps and ate rations, which everyone was becoming quite sick of. And every time the passed within eyesight of a village or town of any size, Chan-Sook pitched a fit. They were all pretty tired of it, and the mood of the party, which had been soon cheerful that first morning after escaping the jungle, had turned downright cranky.

The sixth day in Gughwa, after several tense days through the heart of the province, Chan-Sook pushed back the wooden screen and waved her slender white hand to get the attention of her guards. "Bon-Hwa!" she called, tone imperious.

Gaara sighed internally. Here we go again. Karin rolled her eyes. With obvious reluctance, the head guard reined over to the carriage side.

"Yes, my lady?"

"I wish to stay in an inn tonight!" she exclaimed. If whining and complaining weren't doing the trick, perhaps issuing edicts would work better.

"That's impossible, my lady. We're deep in enemy territory. We can't risk having you identified," Bon-Hwa replied, respectfully but firmly.

"I don't care! I'm cold, I'm damp, I'm filthy, I'm miserable, and I'm sick of those disgusting pressed grain _things_ you call food! I want an _inn_!" Chan-Sook complained. "If you don't bring us to an inn tonight, I'll tell my father how terribly I've been treated on this journey. I'll tell my betrothed and he'll have you put in the stockade!"

"My lady—," Bon-Hwa began, only to be cut off as she launched into another series of threats. Gaara _did_ sigh, and he walked his gelding up to the screen. Her eyes flicked to him as he approached, and she started to smile, childishly certain that she could appeal to Gaara to get her way.

"That's enough," he said. He didn't yell. His cold, contemptuous tone rendered that superfluous. She gaped at him. "Bon-Hwa is exactly right. There can be no inn, we are _deep_ in hostile territory. And your father and betrothed would be most displeased if we were to allow something to happen to you. Or have you really thought _through_ what your fate would be if you were captured? Worrying about a bath and a cozy inn bed would be the least of your problems. You'd be held for ransom, or worse."

Her mouth shut abruptly, and her skin went white as a sheet as Gaara spoke. Naïvely, in the depths of her crush, she had expected Gaara to come to her defence. Instead, her crush shot her down, in front of Bon-Hwa. She looked away, silent. Gaara gave her a hard glare, until he was sure that his message had been reinforced. Then he took position once more at the rear guard.

Chan-Sook's screen slid shut again, as the hime sat, recovering from Gaara's stinging rebuke. Bon-Hwa tossed Gaara a glance, and briefly the shinobi wondered if he'd been out of line. But Bon-Hwa just gave a slight nod. The guardsman appreciated Gaara stepping in. He knew Gaara respected his authority. The leader was pragmatic enough, and sick enough of Chan-Sook's whining, to accept any aid that happened his way.

They rode in blessed silence for nearly half an hour after that. Then Chan-Sook's screen slid aside again. "Bon-Hwa?" This time the girl's tone was contrite, supplicating.

"Yes, my lady?" Bon-Hwa replied, somewhat wearily. Karin steeled herself to ignore another whine session. Gaara wondered what the girl was up to now.

"If we can't have an inn, is there any way we could have a fire, at least? I'd really like to be dry and warm for once, and have hot food." Chan-Sook's voice was quiet and sweet, imploring.

Bon-Hwa sighed. A fire could make smoke, and smoke could give them away. They had some mostly dry wood under the carriage, and they were in pretty deep forest right now. It would be difficult for an attacker to make out smoke through the thick trees, unless they were far enough away. And if they were that far away, the party would likely be gone before they could attack.

"Yes, we can have a fire tonight," Bon-Hwa reluctantly agreed.

"Oh thank you, Bon-Hwa! You're the greatest!" the girl called, and her screen slid shut with a click.

' _The greatest_ ,' yeah right, Karin thought. Just half an hour ago the girl was threatening doom on the head guardsman, and _now_ he was 'the greatest?' She snorted, though, she was happy enough to hear there would be a fire. She wasn't the only one. Even Gaara was looking forward to hot food and a campfire. Especially since it looked like the rain might just be tapering off for the day.


	7. Chapter 6 - Maybe Just One More Night of Blood and Fire?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By now everyone who has stuck with me this far knows this is a slow burn. But trust me, that fire is still creeping through the underbrush, and when it finally goes off, it will definitely set the whole forest ablaze.
> 
> The little girl I help babysit on the farm I visit - my amazonian understudy, she shot the paper last time, I'm so proud - always wants to know if she can read what I write. I have to tell her there's kissy stuff (she sits beside me shouting 'kill kill kill!' when I play video games, she's more bloody-minded than I am), and that's the only way I can fend her off. Her reaction is always 'ew!'.
> 
> So... uh... gore warnings, this chapter gets a bit more graphic than some of the others in terms of mayhem and mass murder.

Myun-Dae pointed out a good potential campground in the late afternoon, stating that it was the absolute best one on the trail that day. Deciding that they could all benefit from a brief rest, Bon-Hwa took it. Chung-Hee and Karin went off into the woods to hunt – she used her Kagura Shingan to find prey and he shot at it – and between the two of them they managed to bring back several brace of grouse. The others stayed and set up camp, with Gaara on guard.

With a cheery fire, some logs to sit on, and hot food, the mood of the party was much improved. The grouse tasted of pine, but they were hot, and they weren't rations. That was good enough for most of the group. Everyone was in slightly better spirits. With the exception, that is, of Chan-Sook. Just a few hours before, they had bypassed another village, and she was in a snit once more despite having gotten her way on the issue of the campfire.

Byun-Soon, naturally, sided with her lady. The two girls embarked in a passive-aggressive whisper campaign, giggling and muttering to each other, while looking around the camp and its inhabitants with sly eyes. Gaara was disgusted. Karin couldn't help but remember other groups of girls in her childhood who had done the same, and wasn't able to keep the sour look from her face.

Finally, Bon-Hwa had enough. "My lady, if you can't say it to the group, don't say it," he stated firmly.

Chan-Sook gave a smile that was a little too sweet. "Oh, I was just saying how you're all going to look and smell like a bunch of filthy savages tomorrow, covered in bird grease and stinking like smoke," she smirked.

"As I recall, it was _you_ who requested the fire," Gaara interjected, coldly. He was quite tired of her antics by this point.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Chan-Sook snapped indignantly, falling back on her 'haughty princess' act. She was still smarting from his verbal smack-down earlier. "What do _you_ know of anything? You're just some peasant mercenary!"

Karin might not have the keenest grasp of the language, but she understood enough, and she was sick of the girl's shit. Silently cursing the fact that her lack of proficiency with their tongue was cramping her style, she snapped out at Chan-Sook. "You be quiet, girl. Bon-Hwa good leader, he know how to keep you from die. You sit down, shut up, and like your fire. You ask for it, you got it. And Gaara not 'peasant mercenary', he shinobi leader, and you better listen what he say. He—,"

"That's enough, kunoichi!" Gaara snapped in their own language, interrupting her. "They don't need to know any of that."

Karin glared at him from across the campfire. Indignation gripped her. "You know what? Fuck you, you overbearing, self-centred, sand-brained jackass. Fuck all of this shit," she got off her log and stomped towards the forest.

The entire group watched her go, with a variety of reactions. Chung-Hee and Byun-Soon both wondered what that string of insults she'd hurled at Gaara translated to. It had sounded impressive. Bon-Hwa wondered if the inevitable blow-out was kicking off, and whether he was about to be out one or more shinobi. Dak-Ho paid it little mind - everything would smooth over in the end. The guide choked on a laugh. Gaara simmered with silent anger. And Chan-Sook, seeing her rival lash out at the object of her desires, smiled, thinking that _now_ Karin had no chance.

After a short time, Gaara stood up, setting his gourd down beside his log with a dull thud.

"Going after her?" Bon-Hwa asked mildly.

" _Someone_ needs to keep her in line," Gaara growled. Bon-Hwa was slightly relieved. It didn't look like Gaara was going out looking for a knock-em-down, drag-em-out fight with Karin, which would probably end up with her dead. He was leaving the sand behind, after all. He clearly did not intend to _kill_ her.

"Be careful," Bon-Hwa said lightly, hoping the volatile young man would heed the warning. It wasn't for Gaara's sake and they both knew it.

Gaara growled, and then muttered, "Women!" He stalked out of the camp, following Karin's trail. As they'd made an early camp, it was still fairly light out. She hadn't bothered to hide her tracks, either. Finding her was child's play.

He wasn't trying to hide his presence at all. Karin heard him coming just before he pushed through the trees into the small clearing she'd found. She wheeled. Kami damn-it, was she not even going to get a _few minutes_ to herself? He spotted her, their eyes meeting, and he opened his mouth to say something.

"Oh stuff it," she snapped, cutting him off before he could begin. His eyes flashed angrily.

"Haven't you ever heard of operational security?" he snapped back. "They don't need to know who I am."

"Like they give a shit, oh great and mighty Kazekage- _sama_ ," she made the honorific an insult. "It's so backwater out here they didn't even know the right word for _shinobi_!"

"Are you _actually_ that stupid or do you just _look_ that way?" he huffed. "If they don't know about who I am, they can't leak it to someone else. _You._ _Will. Keep. QUIET!"_ he snarled.

"Or what?" Karin jerked her chin, challenging him. "You'll splatter me all over the camp and scare Chan-Sook to death?"

"Don't say her name!" He gave her a death glare. She curled her lip in contempt.

"Why? Are you afraid that an owl might hear? Perhaps the _squirrel post_ will go and report on her whereabouts?" she sneered. She was really pissed off now. Gaara was an unreasonable jerk.

"Be silent," he snapped. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins from his anger, and he was aware that he was breathing harder than he should be. She, too, was lit with fury and ready to cut with her words. He saw the rage flashing through her and tried to fight off an entirely unwanted stab of lust at the sight of her cheeks flushing and her eyes burning.

"I will not just sit down and shut up for you, you arrogant bastard!" she unconsciously pushed up one sleeve – a reflex action – and took a step forward, standing her ground. "Just because you're mister high and mighty back in Suna doesn't mean you're jack shit in this forest. You've got no right to go around barking unreasonable orders and treating me like crap just because you think you're so special with all that sand. You are only where you are because everyone else was too scared you'd kill them if they didn't give in. You're just a bastard with too much chakra and—,"

He took a step forward, glaring, mouth pulled in a snarl. "That's enough, bitch. You've been nothing but trouble since the moment we arrived here. And as I recall you were nothing but trouble prior to that. Why Naruto spared your life, I'll never know. If you had been my responsibility I would have had you publicly executed as an example to the rest of the—,"

"Riiight," she sneered again. He seethed, invasive thoughts of wrapping her in his sand, forcing her to submit, stuffing her mouth with his sand or his fist or his cock… fucking her – tearing through his mind. She kept right on going. "Because that's all you're good for, isn't it? Killing anyone who gets in your way. The bijū was just an excuse; even without it you're still nothing but a psychopathic _freak_!" She snapped out the last word with a cruel, feral grin.

Gaara twitched at that. He shuddered, his eyes taking on a mad blankness that she'd never seen before. He smiled at her predatorily, and paced towards her slowly, moving with the grace and menace of a hunting cat. "Shut up, bitch," he growled.

Karin stood her ground. Her blood surged with adrenaline and anger, and excitement. She'd found a weak spot. She smiled back, a cruel challenge. "Why would I do that? Everything I say is the _truth_ ; you just don't want to hear it. You're a freak. A _monst_ —," He'd gotten within striking range, and he lashed out, silencing the hated word before she could say it. His fist curled against the collar of her flak jacket and pulled her roughly towards him. She glared back at him without fear, though her insides churned with anticipation. _Something_ was going to happen here. This was going to keep on escalating. But she just couldn't stop herself.

Their eyes locked. His; pale blue-green and swimming with insanity. Hers; cherry red and defiant. They could feel each other's breath on their faces. Another involuntary shudder went through Gaara as a wave of lust burned through him. "I should kill you," he hissed.

"And spare Konoha's Anbu their glory?" she retorted, trying to ignore the sudden surge of heat that shot through her at his naked aggression. The tiny part of her that remained rational insisted there was no reason for her to be enjoying any of this, but somehow she was. She was inches from disaster and a part of her craved it with an almost sexual intensity. "The whole world wants me dead. Why should you be any differennn—,"

He snarled and jerked her again, his mouth closing on hers, shutting her up at last. Shock had her freezing for just a second – she honestly hadn't expected this. He pressed forward in triumph at her lack of opposition. He hadn't really been expecting this either; this was some impulse response to the rage and lust she inspired in him, and it was lucky for her that the pendulum of his mood had swung to lust.

The hand that wasn't on her collar curled on her shoulder, pushing her down and backwards, and she stumbled back a step, unprepared to resist this. His eyes were open, boring into hers, as his tongue pushed into her mouth. He kissed with a ferocity that left both their lips feeling bruised. Feeling trapped and off-balance, Karin tried not to dwell on the feel of his mouth, the heat of his body, the masculine aroma of him… she had to escape. This was unexpected, unwanted, and weird, yet somehow it thrilled her. She didn't want to deal with the conundrum of her own reaction – her solution was to exit the situation.

But how? His advance had her retreating, because she didn't know how to deal with this. He just came with her, mouth and tongue insistent on her own. She almost flinched as her back met the solidness of a tree, flak jacket rubbing off loose fragments of bark. She smelled pine, and… him. Escape was nonviable. That forced her to _deal with this_.

Now that she was well and truly trapped, his hands moved to other tasks. Somehow he managed to get her flak jacket partially undone, hands fumbling gracelessly and frantically at the many buckles and straps. Just what precisely he was doing he didn't think about too closely; it was enough to let instinct guide him and instinct told him this would be better if the flak jacket was gone. His fingers slid under the rigid armour, finding the slightly sweat-damped heat of her mesh shirt underneath, the puff of her scent rising to his nose only further inflaming him. The mesh offered tantalizing hints of skin under his touch, hotter than he'd expected and definitely not conducive to calming his mental state.

Nor was it conducive to calming hers. He brushed against the nipples that were beginning to harden under their bindings, and she let out an inadvertent moan, muffled by his mouth on hers. Somehow this had ceased to become something to escape. He felt her response and took it as capitulation, as surrender. The thoughts churning through his mind were formless and animalistic. There was no rationality right now. Just desire.

Hers were a tightly whirling circle of chaos. Part of her wanted to tear him a brand new asshole, part of her was shocked, part of her wanted to flee, part of her was alarmed at how quickly this was escalating beyond any semblance of control, and part of her was cursing the sheer number of _buckles_ his Suna flak jacket seemed to possess. She was kissing him back now. Precisely how that happened she wasn't entirely sure. But the part of her that objected was rapidly dissolving and giving way to the part of her that was attracted to him, that was entirely aware of his handsomeness and masculinity, and the alluring, intoxicating blaze of his chakra.

His knee pressed between hers and wedged her legs apart, and he shifted his weight as she adjusted hers almost unconsciously, bringing them closer together. Through their open flak jackets they pressed together as close as they could, and his hands moved to wrap fingers around her, thumbs on her breasts. Her hands roamed southwards, heading for his hips, attempting to pull him close. Through the silk of his travelling garb, his arousal pressed into her. As they both struggled to get somehow even closer, his mouth left her lips and trailed ravenous kisses down her neck. He fumbled with her shirt, attempting to get under it.

And then something intruded on the remnants of his rational mind with insistent immediacy, and he was rudely and abruptly returned to his senses. He jerked backwards with a sharp intake of breath, eyes suddenly lucid once more.

"What?" Karin managed, slightly dazed, as the heat of Gaara suddenly withdrew from against her body. His eyes met hers and she saw that they had lost that paradoxical lust-filled blankness.

"My sand. Feet. On my sand," he choked.

"Fuck!" Karin cursed. She put out a hand to try to move him aside, to get some clearance and some air, but he resisted. "Move it, I can't see chakra past _you_ blazing in my eyes," she snarled.

Gaara gave her a slightly annoyed look, but he stepped aside, and Karin pushed past him, using her Kagura Shingan. She studiously ignored his crackling, aroused chakra right beside her, and focused on the camp. The rest of their party was still in the camp, resting more or less peacefully – there was something strange about the guide, though. But just beyond that, nearly a score of stealthy figures were creeping up on the camp, deadly intent obvious in their chakra.

"An attack on the camp. We don't have time to be sitting here; _move_!" she snarled, taking off towards the camp.

Gaara was hot on her heels, both of them frantically attempting to do up the various fastenings and buckles on their outfits as they flew through the trees. He wasn't in the greatest mood right now; he was annoyed at being shoved aside and ordered around like _he_ wasn't the one in charge, and he was more than a little pissed off at having his impromptu make-out session interrupted. But business was business, and he would be quite free to take out his anger on the attackers.

"How many?" he asked.

"It's got to be near 20, hold on," she focused. "19 and … the guide knows about this. His chakra is erratic, excited. He's expecting something."

"That little shit," Gaara growled.

"Don't kill him. We might need to interrogate him."

"Don't tell me how to do my job, probationer," he said, cold as ice, not so subtly reminding her that she wasn't running the show.

Karin frowned. Now that sanity had re-exerted itself, she was more than a little pissed off. However much she might have liked what just happened up against that tree, it hadn't been _her_ idea. She was annoyed with her own reaction to him, and even more annoyed by the fact that it seemed he had awakened some well-buried streak of masochism in her. That sense of impending doom right before he kissed her had turned her on. Whose fault was this? Ibiki? Had the torture three years ago twisted something inside of her and turned her into some kind of freak?

"Who will get there first?" Gaara asked through gritted teeth, derailing her trail of thought.

"We will. Just in time," she said.

"Be ready," he growled. She snorted contemptuously in reply.

There were stones in this mountain forest – the rock was very close to the surface and there were boulders nearby. He began breaking those down into sand, calling them towards him. He called in his perimeter sand. He even called on the hard-packed sand of his gourd, which sprayed apart in a dramatic fountain of amber and flew across the camp to envelop the guide. Karin saw the people at the fireside startle at that, though she didn't realize until they broke through to the clearing that it had been because of Gaara.

Bon-Hwa and Chung-Hee, seeing the two shinobi explode back into the clearing, realized trouble was afoot and reached for their bows. Just as they did so, Gaara felt a tingle of warning; an echo of that old sense that Shukaku had once provided and which he had had to strengthen on his own without the bijū. The sand, which had been flying into the clearing, suddenly sheeted up in a solid wall between the party and the other side of the forest, absorbing the impact of the synchronized wave of arrows.

These opponents were well trained. No bandit raiding party shot in waves like that. Gaara frowned absently as he came to a stop near a startled Chan-Sook, ready to defend her. He crossed his arms in his habitual battle stance.

At the rise of Gaara's sand, Karin lobbed a kunai with an explosive tag over his barrier, targeting the opponents she knew were beyond. Realizing her tactic, he kept the wall up and strengthened it against the blast. In her chakra sight, a handful of signatures winked out like snuffed candles. Gaara met her eyes across the camp and she nodded. The sand suddenly collapsed in on itself, revealing a spectacle of splintered trees and gore.

Karin gestured, indicating where the greatest concentration of enemies was located. Gaara nodded, his sand coiling ominously around him. A stream of it curled in the direction she indicated, and then the majority of it rose again in a sudden wall against the next volley of arrows. Beside him, Chan-Sook gave a small shriek, and she and Byun-Soon clung to each other desperately, putting their heads together and cowering on the ground behind the log they had been using as seating. Gaara was grateful that they were keeping a low profile and not making targets of themselves.

Chung-Hee and Bon-Hwa had arrows nocked and were searching for targets.

"Kill the redheads! We can take the girl when they're dead!" shouted a voice from the trees. Gaara gave an evil smile. They would not find that task as easy as they had supposed. Though, these attackers were far too organized and well equipped to be mere bandits. Both shinobi suspected that they were up against some kind of formally trained military force. It wouldn't be enough to take out the defenders, not with the shinobi there. None of these were chakra users.

Six raiders emerged from the brush in a V formation, advancing on Karin with sabres drawn. Spotting them, Chung-Hee and Bon-Hwa fired at the right and left flank, and two raiders went down. Karin made a series of hand signs, and Gaara prepared to shield the clearing from an explosive tag. But instead, Karin finished her jutsu with a loud 'hah!' thrusting out her palm. The Oto jutsu amplified her exclamation and projected a cone of sonic force at the oncoming enemies. The concussion wave was visible and violent, rupturing internal organs and dropping the hapless attackers to their knees to cringe in pain. The trees beyond them shook at the sudden force, a few of the weaker ones toppling with a crash.

Gaara raised an eyebrow at that, though perhaps he shouldn't be surprised. A few years as Orochimaru's acolyte were bound to teach someone a few tricks. Karin stumbled briefly, and then recovered; the jutsu having obviously been a draining one. The kunoichi drew a kunai and moved to finish off the staggered opponents. Gaara didn't have any more time to gawk; he had to once more catch arrows with his sand. Then immediately after he was catching another volley sent after Karin, who was completing her coup de grâce.

The two guardsmen were searching for targets in the trees, and finding them, were loosing arrow after arrow. Gaara wove his sand through the trees, inexorably, searchingly. His attention was fragmented in three places – restraining the loudly protesting guide, covering Chan-Sook and their allies, and hunting down the leader of the raiding party, who was still yelling out commands. The other man's voice cut off suddenly as Gaara found him. He started shouting panicked obscenities instead as the sand seized him and dragged him from the trees. Gaara could feel the other man struggle frantically in his sand, and it sparked a surge of bloodlust.

The Suna shinobi couldn't use Sabaku Sōsō on the captain without risking the guide, who they still needed alive. Instead he slowly increased the pressure on the sand, constricting the man, whose screams were starting to get annoying. "Someone secure the guide! He's the informant!" Gaara yelled. Bon-Hwa raised his eyebrows at that, startled.

Karin nodded and flicked over to Myun-Dae, who was thrashing and panicked. Kunai out and against his throat, she spat "don't try anything stupid." Naturally, as soon as Gaara's sand subsided, he attempted to break away from her, but she was ready for it. He yelped as she put him into a painful hold and swiftly tied him up.

Freed from having to keep the guide from dying, Gaara wasted no time. "Sabaku Sōsō!" he snapped, clenching his fist. The leader of the enemy assault team didn't have time to scream. Blood fountained; mostly caught by the sand, though some splattered the trees and ground nearby. Chan-Sook shrieked. Gaara ignored her and kept hunting for targets, alert for arrows. Karin helped, using kunai and shuriken strikes to take out attackers, and directing the defenders towards new victims.

"We got runners!" Karin shouted, gesturing in the direction of the retreating chakra signatures. Gaara nodded quickly and sent his sand questing through the trees. He found the fleeing attackers and took them out. Screams once more echoed through the forest.

"That's the last of them," Karin said, after the screams died off. "They're all dead. No escapees."

"Good," Gaara said. His sand was soaked with blood, and he could smell it quite well as he reformed the gourd. The scent of blood did nothing to settle his mental state. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, attempting to calm himself down. The attack was over; it wouldn't do to lose control here and frighten or harm his allies. The bloodlust hadn't been this bad in the jungle, or with the bandits. He chalked it up to the incident in the forest just before. He just concentrated on breathing, slowing his heart rate, and getting himself under control.

"Did anyone take any wounds?" Bon-Hwa asked, checking himself.

"I'm good," Karin said. Gaara shook his head.

"I'm fine. Gaara-ssi didn't let any arrows through, and Karin took out the ones with sabres," Chung-Hee said.

Dak-Ho nodded. "I am unharmed."

"Chan-Sook?" Bon-Hwa asked, when the girl didn't reply to his status check.

"I'm ok, we're ok. I think," the girl said, shakily. Karin spared them a glance. The two were still clinging to each other, and looked clearly frightened. Dirty tear tracks ran down both their faces. She had to squelch the flash of disgust she felt; reminding herself that these were civilians – spoiled, _pampered_ civilians, but in general good kids – and violence on this level and intensity aimed at them was something new and frightening. She sighed, and knelt beside the two.

"It alright, the bad men dead now," she said. Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon threw themselves into her arms, both sobbing. It felt weird to comfort someone, but Karin went with it, awkwardly patting their backs as they cried on her shoulders.

"Those were no bandits," Gaara said what both shinobi had been thinking. He'd finally recovered to the point where he felt able to speak, and was once more thinking rationally. "They were too disciplined. They maintained formation and followed orders, and even managed to synchronize their archery. Even in failing light they fought well. I saw no uniforms, but that gear was high quality and fitted to each fighter. This was an organized military force."

Bon-Hwa nodded. "Karin-ssi, how many were there?"

"19," she answered.

The head guardsman was not surprised. "That's the size of a Gughwa military platoon. One captain, three squad leaders, and three squads of five," he said.

"The guide knew," Karin added.

" _What?!_ She's lying! I had no idea—," Myun-Dae, who had been silent until now, hog tied and lying on his side, exploded.

" _Lie!_ " Karin yelled, turning her head to glare at the man. "You chakra says you lie. You knew this coming. Did you pick time and place?" she demanded.

Myun-Dae went red, and then white. Gaara glared at the guide coldly.

Bon-Hwa gave the guide a considering look. "This is an exceptionally good place for an ambush. Come to think of it, you led us right to it, too," he commented.

"I didn't!" the guide protested. "I'm innocent! Please, you have to believe—," He cut off abruptly as the cork popped from Gaara's gourd and sand started to slide over him. He closed his eyes in terror. He'd just seen this sand slaughter the captain of the platoon, who had been a friend of his.

"Don't bother lying," Gaara said. "We can tell when you lie."

"Ok, ok, I'll tell the truth, just don't let him kill me!" the guide shouted. Bon-Hwa nodded to Gaara, and the sand receded.

"Did you tell anyone else, or just this platoon?" Bon-Hwa asked.

"Just my friend, the c-c-captain," Myun-Dae said, giving Gaara another sickened glance. Gaara continued to gaze impassively back. "I don't think he told anyone else. He figured he could get a bounty or at least some glory from grabbing the Sonamu province girl, and he didn't want to share that with anyone but the platoon. He was going to give me 2,000,000 won if the attack was successful."

"When did you arrange this?" Bon-Hwa continued.

"The day before I met up with you people."

"How did you know about the girl? All you were supposed to know was that you would be guiding a party to Danpung."

"A member of the group that arranged my services was too loud over ale. I overheard enough to put it together," the guide said.

Bon-Hwa sighed. At least, it seemed this would be the only attack they would face, at least from people who knew about Chan-Sook. Now he had to decide what he was going to do with the man. The guide deserved death, no doubt about that, but they still needed his expertise to make their way through Gughwa and back to the highway in Danpung. Suddenly, it occurred to him that the guide could have been steering them wrong the entire way.

"Have you been guiding us true?" he demanded.

"I have, I swear it!" Myun-Dae exclaimed. Karin nodded. His chakra was honest. The man was scared shitless, but he was telling the truth.

Bon-Hwa gave a slight nod. "I need to make a decision now. What you did deserves death, but we still need a guide," he said. Gaara raised a hairless eyebrow. If it were up to the sand nin, he'd just paste the guide. But then again, wandering forever in the woods wouldn't get him home any faster.

"I'll take you the rest of the way, just don't kill me," Myun-Dae said.

Bon-Hwa arrived at a solution. They were supposed to be two days from the border, and three from the highway. Myun-Dae would stay bound and ride with Dak-Ho, much as Chung-Hee had while recovering from the jungle poison. If they arrived on schedule, they'd let him go with his life. If they didn't, Bon-Hwa would let Gaara kill the guide and the party would take the risk of being discovered by getting directions from the nearest settlement.

Myun-Dae was obviously not happy, but he recognized that this was far more merciful than he deserved. He reluctantly gave his agreement, and it was settled.

They sent Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon to the carriage to sleep, with Karin to help keep them calmed down. The rest of the guards (including Gaara and even Dak-Ho) disposed of the remains of the attackers as the sun finally slipped below the horizon. The arms and armour of the Gughwa platoon were high quality. The armour wouldn't fit anyone, but Chung-Hee and Bon-Hwa both appropriated undamaged sabres and took all the arrows they could find. Their own bows were better, but the arrows were an improvement.

Gaara and Chung-Hee took first watch. The guardsman tried once or twice to talk to Gaara, but Gaara wasn't in the mood. He was still in turmoil about what happened earlier, and brushed Chung-Hee off in favour of being alone with his thoughts.

The Suna shinobi reflected on the events prior to the attack and was somewhat disquieted. He'd nearly lost control there, too, but in a very different way. No, scratch that, he _had_ lost control, and if they hadn't been disturbed, he doubted he would still be a virgin right now. That thought was both a little bit sobering and exciting. What's more, it seemed she was at least in some way attracted to _him_. She'd been in just as much of a hurry to get _his_ flak jacket off, and she had kissed him back.

But now the moment was lost and he didn't know when he'd get another chance. Did this change things between them? He was afraid of losing control again. She got under his skin _so_ easily, it was quite frankly impressive how she could set him off. It's like she'd spent her entire life learning how to use words as weapons. He didn't miss the fact that she'd adroitly identified most of his buttons and gone straight for them.

One thing was for sure, if he let her get to him, it would interfere with the mission. He resolved to do his best to avoid provoking her or being provoked by her at least until Chan-Sook had been delivered. If he ended up killing her on a mountainside afterwards, or tossing her overboard on the steamship, he'd deal with that then. And if he ended up with her underneath him, well, he'd deal with that when it came to it. The thought was enough to frustrate him. Now he _knew_ he wanted her, and she _wasn't his_.

It was thoughts like that which he took to his bedroll with him when it was finally time to change watch. Before they woke Bon-Hwa and Karin, Chung-Hee stopped Gaara with a comment.

"So the way to Karin-ssi's heart is to fight with her? I wish I'd known that sooner," he said, and Gaara was somewhat puzzled as to the origins of that comment. At least, until he woke up the next morning and realized that in his haste to get back to the camp for the fight, he'd accidentally crossed two of the buckles on his flak jacket. The way to Karin's heart, huh? Did he want her heart? What _did_ he want?

It was a tense two days until they crossed the border. While it seemed unlikely that they would come under attack by Gughwa forces, they were by no means immune to bandits. Karin kept a watchful eye as they travelled, and Gaara was ready for anything. Anything, that is, except for having to interact with Karin. Both of the shinobi were doing their best to avoid each other, limiting their exchanges only to that strictly necessary for business. The fights vanished entirely. Bon-Hwa was somewhat curious as to why they were being so well behaved, but decided he didn't want to probe too deeply into it lest he restart their endless spat.

Truth be told, neither shinobi were eager to deal with to consequences of the kiss in the forest. Gaara was worried about losing control again, especially in front of his employer. Karin was not in a hurry to explore her mixed feelings towards the volatile Suna nin. If she had her way, she'd remain in more or less ignorant bliss until she got back to Konoha. To that end, both shinobi scrupulously avoided provoking each other. Yet, they watched each other every chance they got, when they thought the other wasn't looking.

To Bon-Hwa's relief, Myun-Dae had indeed been guiding them true. They reached the imperial highway three days later, where they reluctantly set the guide free. Myun-Dae didn't waste time; he got out of there as fast as he could. Gaara watched him flee with a glare. Fortunately, that part of the highway was deserted, or there might have been questions.

Once more they made their way through lands that showed sign of settlement. The path Myun-Dae took them through had gone mostly on nearly-unnavigable traces through deep forests – where it was harder to spot them. The imperial highway went through highland ranges filled with cattle and sheep. The carriage party shared the road with drovers taking livestock to the larger villages and towns along the way, with caravans of ore, ingots and worked metal, and with travellers of all sorts.

To Chan-Sook's satisfaction (and to tell the truth, to the relief of the rest of the party), they were staying at inns again. They were officially in Danpung province, which was friendly territory. Bon-Hwa did not see any security issues with using inns here.

As they got closer to the provincial capital, the shinobi noticed that the population was greater than they had expected. Both shinobi had been under the impression that the empire was a relatively sparsely settled place; as all the places they had visited so far had been small and sparse. As they neared Danpung City, they both realized this was not the case. The province was clearly thriving, surviving on the wealth of its herds, forests, and ores, and the population density showed it. The two shinobi came to the conclusion that they had been travelling through the imperial backwater up until this point. It put the lack of this mysterious Imperial Guard into context.

Bon-Hwa would occasionally stop at garrisons and speak to the officers in charge there. Dispatches were sent to the capital to inform Gukgong Beong-Kyun that his bride had arrived in his province safely and was on her way to the fortress.

Each of the shinobi noticed something, which, if they had bothered to collaborate, might have provided useful information. However, since they were doing their best to not speak with one another, that didn't happen. Gaara noticed that the road they were using had been reinforced by chakra, and recently too, which he found very curious. Karin noticed that, for the first time, there were signs of chakra users. They were, oddly enough, always in groups and almost always somewhere within the garrisons they passed by, and never among the civilian population. Slightly disappointingly, she never actually caught _sight_ of another chakra user – instead, she merely spotted their signatures with her Kagura Shingan.

Gaara wondered if the continued presence of himself and Karin were a mere formality; between the population density and the presence of armed soldiers, it didn't seem like bandits were much of a problem. All the same, he didn't mind it. From what he'd put together, Danpung City was on the way to Beullu Sawon, and it meant a little more money in their pockets. He wasn't sure how much the steamship back to Fire Country would cost, but he was pretty sure it wouldn't be free. He only hoped they'd have enough. Otherwise they'd have to do odd jobs until they could afford the fare. Or he would have to find some way to get a message across the ocean or over the mountains requesting funds with which to return home. How humiliating would _that_ be?

Karin wished they had time to go to some of the markets that they saw as they passed. Now that they seemed to be back in civilization, she was wondering if there was a way she could add to her perfume collection before they returned to Konoha. She had some room in her packs and some money in her pocket and she was itching to find out what exotic fragrances might be found in this strange empire. Unfortunately for her, they could not stop to shop. She resolved to visit a perfumers' stall before leaving this empire if at all possible.

The journey through Danpung was actually quite pleasant, despite the rain. Near towns and villages, decorative maples often lined the road. For the most part, the people seemed friendly, and the two shinobi felt able to relax just a little, or at least to recover from the hyper-vigilance which had been necessary in Gughwa. The closer they got to Danpung City, the more pleasant the journey became. The quality of the inns improved noticeably, and Karin was quite enjoying that fact. She still shared rooms with Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon; Bon-Hwa had decided this was beneficial to the hime's security. The rooms they were given got nicer and nicer the closer they got to the capital. And the girls were only too eager to continue their 'lessons' with Karin, who was just as thrilled to teach them.

The closer they got the capital, the more disquieted Gaara got. Soon this escort mission would be over and he would be on the way to Beullu Sawon. Alone, with Karin. What would happen there, he didn't know. He suspected he'd either end up killing her or laying her. He was dreading the confrontation as much as he was longing for it. Enough so that the night before they reached Danpung, he found himself sleepless and unable to squelch his thoughts, alone in his inn room.

She hadn't become any _less_ attractive to him over the last several days of avoidance and surreptitious glances. If anything, he'd only found more things about her that he found alluring. Like the shade of her hair – which was a more pinkish, cherry red than his own hair, and it exactly matched the shade of her eyes. The way she styled it, too, he liked. It was sleek and smooth on one side, and jagged on the other. He wondered how she managed to keep it done on the road. His hair was always a shaggy blood-red mop, locks of it curling in any direction they liked. It was starting to need cut again, but damned if he was letting anyone but Kankurō or Temari near his head with anything sharp.

Then there was the entirely graceful way she sat on her horse. She was a more accomplished rider than he was, even after nearly a month in the saddle. He resented having to ride and he suspected his damn horse knew it too. But she rode on the mare she'd been loaned as though she and the horse were one creature. And _her_ horse seemed to _like_ her, too, which mystified Gaara. What kind of creature could _honestly_ like Karin?

And there was the fact that when Karin wasn't scowling at something, she was actually quite lovely. Of course, like most kunoichi, she possessed an effortless grace from years of training. He'd found himself noting her figure, which was so different from Temari's or Matsuri's, the only other women he had spent much time around. Both Matsuri and Temari were more boyish, with narrow hips and smaller breasts. Karin's hips were slightly wider, and her chest was definitely more impressive. The difference was intriguing. Especially since it seemed that Karin's hips and breasts had no impact on her effectiveness as a shinobi, which he'd kind of wondered about.

He liked the fact that she was shorter than him. Gaara was 175 cm and slightly self-conscious about his height. Most of the male shinobi in his age group had gotten taller than he had. He'd wondered if it had something to do with being a Jinchūriki, but Naruto was 5 cm taller than him, and then there was that giant, Killer Bee. Gaara was a little bit shorter than even his brother Kankurō, who made things worse by insisting on wearing that stupid cat-eared hood. Karin, at 165, was short enough for him to see well over the top of her head. He'd liked it when he was kissing her; it had excited him. Physically, he was taller and stronger. And he had more chakra, too.

Thoughts of kissing her were dangerous. Remembering that incident in the forest made his blood heat up. He remembered the feel of her body against his, the way their bodies had fit together so perfectly, despite their various shinobi accoutrements. He couldn't help but remember the heat and scent of her skin under the flak jacket, the salty-sweet taste of her lips, and the way she had surrendered to his kiss at last. The remembrance of her _scent_ , especially, wouldn't leave him.

Oh Kami. He'd never get to sleep at this rate. He was making himself hard with these thoughts. Underneath the comfortable duvet in the inn bed, he began to touch himself, focusing on his fantasies of her. Karin, kissing him in the forest. Sucking on his cock, red eyes looking up at him. Spread-eagle and naked, held down by his sand. Bent over and waiting for him, tied and _gagged_. He almost groaned.

And then he froze, suddenly alert, at the sound of the handle of his door being turned, carefully and stealthily. The well-oiled hinges of his room door made no sound as it cracked open, the hallway illumination backlighting a slender figure slipping into his room and closing the door.

His gourd exploded as he leapt out of bed to confront his assailant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is a reference to a Type O-Negative song No More Nights of Blood and Fire. I went through my angsty teen phase in the late 90s and that was one of my staple bands. If you're old enough to actually remember that band, you're old enough to read this fic for sure. I hope you enjoyed the little flare up in the underbrush.


	8. Chapter 7 - The Gukgong's Hospitality is Better Than That of his Soldiers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to all the readers, especially the people who tell me what they think of this. It's hard to judge reception without feedback. Chickensparrow and GaBeRock, I hope you're still enjoying this!
> 
> We're getting closer to the 'good stuff', I swear it.

Gaara was entirely indifferent to his nakedness as he snatched up a kunai and prepared to fight. His sand sprayed, seizing his attacker. A muffled shriek emitted from the figure within the sand.

Wait a minute. That shriek sounded _familiar_. It ought to; he'd heard it plenty of times that day in the forest when they were attacked.

"Chan-Sook?" he asked, incredulous, lowering the hand with the kunai, and letting his sand recede enough to let her speak.

"G-G-G-Gaara-ssi," came the hime's tremulous voice. "Please let me go."

He recalled his sand abruptly, and it slid back into his gourd. Chan-Sook gave a little relieved gasp when she was freed.

"Chan-Sook, what are—ooof," Gaara didn't have a chance to finish his query; the girl launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head in his armpit. What the fuck? Did someone hurt her? He thought she might be acting like someone who needed comfort, but what the fuck did she want with _him_? Gaara wasn't good at comfort.

"Are you alright? Did someone do something?" he asked, somewhat concerned. This girl was under his protection.

She mumbled something into his armpit. He couldn't understand her. "What was that?" he asked.

"I-I-I want you to m-m-make love to me," she stammered.

He jerked in surprise. " _What?!_ " Alright, this was _not_ what he expected.

"I want you to have sex with me. Like a man and a woman," she said, a bit firmer this time.

"Absolutely not!" he snapped. "Are you out of your mind?" He attempted to free himself from her grasp without harming her. It wasn't as easy as he might have thought. She kept trying to grip him tighter.

"You want to!" she whispered loudly, insistently. To Gaara's immense embarrassment, her hand went straight for his half-erect manhood. "This tells me you want to! Karin said when a man wants a woman he gets hard down there!"

 _Karin_ said!? Just _what_ had that troublesome kunoichi done now? Had she put Chan-Sook up to this? Gaara wasn't in a position to probe more fully – he had to get Chan-Sook's hands off of him and do it in such a way that she didn't render him unable to father children.

"That's not—don't touch me," he growled.

"But—,"

"Don't touch me!" The sand hissed out of the gourd once more, wrapping around Chan-Sook's feet and up her legs. She froze at its touch and he carefully pried her fingers loose from his endangered package. As soon as he was free, he used his sand to seat her in the chair in the corner of his inn room. While she was sliding across the floor, frozen in terror, he groped in his pack and quickly donned some garments, replacing his kunai. He sat on the bed and switched on the light.

"Are you going to stay put?" he asked, giving her a no-nonsense look.

Chan-Sook cringed. "Yes," she said. This was _not_ turning out how she had expected when she'd snuck past the snoring kunoichi. Gaara was supposed to treat her tenderly, give her her first kiss, and agree to make love to her. He was supposed to tell her how beautiful she was, and how he had wanted her from the day he first laid eyes on her. Instead, he had wrapped her up in his sand, _twice_ , yelled at her, brushed her off, and treated her coldly. And now he was giving her that _look_ , the one that told her she'd better fess up and be quick about it.

"What in the hells were you _thinking_?" he snapped, as the sand once more flowed back into the gourd, revealing the young hime in a simple linen shift. She stayed put.

"I wasn't—I mean… I-I-I didn't want my first time to be with a stranger," she said.

Gaara sighed. "Chan-Sook, this is _exactly_ the kind of thing we were hired to _prevent_. We're supposed to be _guarding_ your purity, not taking it from you," he said, forcefully. She looked down at her feet. "You're supposed to go to your wedding night a virgin. It's part of the reason your Iron Lord is paying such a generous bride-price for you." She flushed at that, ashamed.

"I'm scared," she said, still not looking at him. "What if he's mean? What if he's ugly? What if he's _old_?"

"Why don't you _wait_ and meet him first before you go throwing yourself at foreign men?" Gaara snapped. "Besides, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Your Iron Lord has a good reputation with his people. He's supposedly quite good looking, and not that much older than me."

Chan-Sook finally looked up. "How do you know that?" she asked, slightly accusatory.

"People gossip; I listened," he said, succinctly. "As for him being a stranger, well, he won't be, if you take the chance to get to know him first. Are you to be married immediately?"

Chan-Sook shook her head slightly. "The next full moon," she admitted. "It's auspicious." The next full moon was a half month away.

"Then you'll have some time to spend with him. _Try_ , at least, Chan-Sook. Arranged marriages are a part of life for the nobility. But there can still be love in an arranged marriage. You just need to work towards it," he said, feeling more than a little ironic. _He_ was one to talk about love, alright. The man who had killed his own uncle at age 6 – the only other person in the world who had ever claimed to love him. Gaara had to look away, briefly.

"Do you really think it's possible?" Chan-Sook asked, tremulously.

"Yes," Gaara lied. He was entirely unsure he could really believe in love. But this innocent teen did not need to be saddled with his emotional turmoil.

She looked relieved. "Ok, Gaara-ssi. I'll try it," she smiled. He felt relieved. He would have had a tough time explaining _this_ to Bon-Hwa.

"Good. Are you ready to go back to bed? We're supposed to be arriving tomorrow, you should be rested."

She nodded.

"And by the way," he said, pinning her with a stare. "What exactly did _that woman_ tell you?" He hadn't forgotten Karin's part in this little fiasco.

Chan-Sook blushed, suddenly hesitant to discuss sex with the man who she had so recently thrown herself at. "Don't be mad at her, Gaara-ssi. She just didn't want me to be afraid on my wedding night," she said.

Gaara let out an exasperated sigh. Trust Karin to complicate things like this. Of all the things he'd had to deal with on this journey, this was by far the most _fucking_ ridiculous. "Go to sleep Chan-Sook," he said. The girl nodded, standing. Gaara stayed seated on the bed, watching her go. After she had shut the door behind her, he silently rose and locked it, wondering why he had neglected to do so earlier. It was his preoccupation with Karin, he suspected. It had slipped his mind.

He crawled back into bed, feeling suddenly bone-weary, and flicked off the bedside lamp. Sleep took him quickly.

* * *

The next day, they arrived in Danpung City, and at the estate of Iron Lord Beong-Kyun, the Gukgong of the province. It was, oddly enough, sunny for one of the first times in a month, which was taken as an auspicious sign. The carriage was brought within the compound gates, under the honour guard of the Gukgong's higher-ranked soldiers. Gaara and Karin ignored the speculative glances the soldiers were trying not to give them.

The Gukgong was waiting for them, having been warned of the arrival of his betrothed. It was immediately noticeable which of the several individuals in the courtyard the lord was. One of the people was definitely a functionary, and there were two in uniform. The fourth was not in uniform, and had a definite aura of command and self-confidence. The other three automatically deferred to him. That would be Beong-Kyun, then. The rumours were accurate; he was fairly good looking and looked to be in his early 20s.

"Welcome to my province, my city, and my home," the Iron Lord stated after Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon exited the carriage and the escorting guards and soldiers had dismounted. "Please be at ease. I will have grooms come and see to your horses and carriage." At his words, several people came from the stables to do just that. He turned to Bon-Hwa, but his eyes lingered over the two shinobi in interest for a mere moment. Gaara suspected that he would be called to a meeting soon.

"You must be Cheung Bon-Hwa-ssi. Gukgong Heung Chin-Mae-gun has written about your competence. I am glad to see that he is correct; you have brought my betrothed to me in good safety," Beong-Kyun commented. Bon-Hwa bowed. The lord continued, "I would like to receive your report, after I have met my betrothed. Are those Five Countries shinobi with you?"

"Yes, sir," Bon-Hwa replied.

"Interesting. Bring him with you when you report," Beong-Kyun said, indicating Gaara. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to meet my bride," he smiled, and walked forward to where Chan-Sook stood by the carriage, breathless and wide-eyed. Beong-Kyun took her hand. "My lady. Welcome to my home. I am very happy to have you here," he breathed, eyes glued to the girl. Chan-Sook stared back at him.

"Thank you, my lord," she said, breaking into a sudden smile. "I'm happy to be here."

"We are preparing a feast in your honour. You must want some time to recover from your journey. Please, allow my servants to escort you to your quarters so that you may rest," Beong-Kyun said.

"Thank you, my lord," she replied, again. Beong-Kyun smiled. He gestured, and a female servant emerged from the household, bowed before him, and requested that Chan-Sook and Byun-Soon follow her. The girls did.

"Please come give your report after you have settled your affairs with the shinobi, Bon-Hwa-ssi. Bring the shinobi with you," the Iron Lord stated. Bon-Hwa nodded. The commanding young man turned and returned to his household.

"You may stand down for now. There should be space for us in the barracks," Bon-Hwa said to Chung-Hee and Dak-Ho. The two men nodded and followed the rest of the Gukgong's soldiers through one of the several doors of the buildings facing the courtyard. Bon-Hwa gestured for the two shinobi, and Gaara and Karin walked over to him.

"You two fought like an old married couple, but I doubt we'd be here right now without you. There's extra in there. Consider it an additional bonus. You two are worth your weight in gold in a fight," the head guard said as he counted out their pay and gave it to Gaara. Both shinobi blushed at their erstwhile employer's mention of their squabbling. Gaara counted the money, and nodded. It was all there, including a bonus.

"Has the contract been completed to your satisfaction?" Gaara asked, mildly. It was more routine than anything else.

"It has. I'll have to remember you Five Countries shinobi for when my Gukgong's younger daughter is married."

"Send your contracts to Sunagakure in Wind Country and we'll see that competent teams are sent," Gaara replied. Karin gave him a slightly disgusted glance. Trust Gaara to attempt to monopolize business from this empire. Oh well. _She_ certainly didn't have the authority to offer anything on behalf of Konoha.

Gaara split out Karin's portion and gave it to her. At least he was honest and fair about _that_ , she thought. She stashed the cash and waited for her next order.

"As of now you're no longer in my employ. However, the Gukgong has requested your presence, Gaara-ssi," Bon-Hwa said.

Gaara nodded. He was not surprised. Karin scowled. So _she_ wasn't invited? Well they could have their little sausage fest. Damn fool misogynist country.

"What about me?" Karin asked as Gaara made to follow Bon-Hwa.

"Do whatever you want, just don't leave the compound until I give the word. Stand down until further notice. Go to the barracks," Gaara said, dismissively, and followed Bon-Hwa into the building. They were shown to the Gukgong's office and invited in. They took their seats in front of Beong-Kyun.

Bon-Hwa proceeded to give his report of his journey. It was the first time Gaara heard the full story about the events preceding the moment they joined the party. Apparently, Bon-Hwa had originally set out with a protective force of eight under his command, plus Dak-Ho and himself, a full Sonamu squad. It would have been enough to deter most bandits. However, five had defected shortly after crossing the border of the third province they passed through – they were five who had argued persuasively to become a part of the party. Bon-Hwa was of the opinion that they had left to become privateers. Two had been killed in a skirmish with bandits several days later. And then, he had come across the two shinobi.

The rest of the journey Gaara was familiar with. He'd been there the entire time. It was still interesting to hear Bon-Hwa describe the fights. "Fought like a demon" was not a phrase he would prefer to use, given that once upon a time he had _housed_ a tailed beast, but Bon-Hwa was clearly impressed with both his and Karin's performance.

"Well," said the Gukgong, as Bon-Hwa finished his report. "It sounds like I owe the safety of my bride to you and your subordinate. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Gaara said.

"You seem familiar. I think I've heard of you. You're Sabaku no Gaara, the leader of the sand ninja town, aren't you? Your title is shadow of the wind or something like that, right?" Beong-Kyun remarked.

"Yes, that would be me. I am the Kazekage of Sunagakure no Sato," Gaara admitted. No use hiding it, he'd obviously been recognized. Bon-Hwa started, giving Gaara a surprised look as he realized that his shinobi hireling was far higher rank than he'd initially assumed. He knew the young man was highly placed, but he hadn't realized just _how_ highly placed.

"How fortunate for me and my bride. My province has used your services before, I think. The first time was when my sister was married, before my father died and I took the position of Gukgong," Beong-Kyun mused. "Your village sent a squad to escort her, and in it there was a man who used puppets to fight and wore a hood that made him look like a cat."

Gaara's mouth twitched. He remembered the mission, it had been shortly after he'd become Kazekage and one of the first he'd authorized. "I remember. That is my brother, Kankurō."

"I knew he was a family member. So, he was your brother? He did an exceptional job," Beong-Kyun said.

"I am glad to hear that. Kankurō is very skilled." After that, more contracts had come through. Not frequently, and mostly for escort missions, but they had come. He knew where he was now; just across the mountains lay the desert of his home. In fact, it was largely because of these mountains that the desert _was_ a desert – it was in the rain shadow of this range.

"And now your family has aided mine once more. Are you headed back to your country?"

"Eventually," Gaara began. "I have to return the girl to her village, and as you know the mountains are impassable now due to the rains." The Gukgong nodded and Gaara continued. "We are headed to Beullu Sawon to take a steamship back to the Country of Fire and to Konohagakure, the village of the Leaf."

"Beullu Sawon? The journey is not bad, it's scenic and the roads are well-patrolled," Beong-Kyun commented. "Do you need to return immediately? I would be honoured if you would consider staying for my wedding."

Gaara considered. The full moon was in two weeks. That was a long time to be away. He needed to return to his village and he needed to get Karin back to hers before Konoha's Anbu found her. "I'm afraid we cannot, though your invitation honours me. Karin risks execution for being AWOL if she doesn't get back soon, and I cannot leave my village without a leader for much longer," he said.

"I understand," the Gukgong said. "Please, at least stay for the night. We are preparing a feast, and there will be traditional entertainment. You will receive a place of honour beside me."

Gaara nodded. Tonight he could do. "I would like to extend an invitation to you and your bride to attend the next chūnin exams, which are to be held in Sunagakure in five months," Gaara said.

"What are those?"

"They are the semi-annual advancement examinations for up-and-coming shinobi youth. They are quite exciting; there are several tests including combat trials. We typically invite the leaders of countries, as the exams are an excellent way for the shinobi villages to showcase their most talented students," Gaara replied.

Beong-Kyun considered this. "It'll be the dry season by then. I'll definitely think about this; I might like to see your ninja children in action."

Gaara gave a slight nod.

"Well, Gaara-gun. Thank you for your service to my province, and thank you for the invitation. If you would like, I will have someone give you a tour of the fortress. Then you will be shown to your rooms and you will have an opportunity to prepare for tonight's feast," the Gukgong said.

"You are welcome, and thank you. I would like the tour," Gaara said. Both men rose and bowed to each other, heads of state meeting as equals. Gaara exited the room and found a functionary waiting to give him the tour. He took it.

* * *

Karin, on the other hand, experienced entirely different hospitality. She followed through the door she had seen Chung-Hee and Dak-Ho go through, going from the bright, sunlit courtyard into… well, she wasn't sure at first.

"Well, would you look at that? It's that foreigner girl, the one who thinks she's a warrior," came a male voice. She used Kagura Shingan. Five men were nearby, in the room with her (with many more beyond that but she wasn't concerned about them), their chakra auras betraying curiosity, contempt, and excitement.

"Do you think she really knows how to fight?" one of the others asked.

"I doubt it. She's a girl. What would a little girl know about battle?" snorted another contemptuously.

Karin dropped the Kagura Shingan. She was in a training room, in what she assumed was the barracks. Mats lined the floor and there were weapon stands against the wall, with an assortment of wooden, blunted and real weapons. She gave the five men a glare.

"Oh, I think she's mad at you, Babo. I think she wants a fight," one of the men said, mockingly. _Babo?_ That meant 'stupid.' It must be a nickname.

"I bet that's not _all_ she wants," another laughed. Karin stiffened. Ok, these goons needed to be taught a lesson.

"Oooo, I pissed the little girl off. What are you going to do about it, little girl?" the one called Babo taunted. "You think you're gonna fight me?"

Karin gave him a vicious smile. "If you _really_ want ass kicked, I fight you," she said.

There was scattered laughter at her statement, and jeering taunts, mocking the simplistic way she spoke and her challenge. Babo smirked at her. "I'll take you out, girl. Then I'll show you what a _real_ Danpung man is like."

"I not see any men here, only boys," she retorted with a contemptuous snort.

"Alright girlie, you and me, just fists and feet like the gods intended, none of your foreign ninja tricks," Babo said.

"You're on," Karin grinned, shark-like.

"10,000 on Babo," declared one of the men.

"Put me down for that too," said another.

"Of course I'm betting on myself. 10,000 that the girl is mat fodder in less than a minute," Babo said.

"10,000 on the girl," another of the soldiers said, breaking the pattern.

"What? Bamnamu, are you crazy?" One of the first speakers said.

"Hey, maybe she knows what she's doing. It'd be funny to see Babo eat mat." 'Chestnut' said.

"What about you, Bibeo?" the first gambler asked the last soldier, a buck-toothed man who vaguely resembled the beaver of his nickname.

"I'm keeping the books."

Just then, another person entered the room. "Oh, hey, Karin-ssi, what's going on?" the familiar voice of Chung-Hee asked.

"I gonna destroy Babo, here," she said.

"Hey, Sonamu, you in?"

"Sure, put me down for 20,000 on Karin."

"You're betting on the girl _too_?" the one who had accused Bamnamu of insanity whined.

"Hell yeah, I seen her fight," Chung-Hee said, giving Babo a glance of pity.

"50,000 on me. I wipe floor with _Babo_ ," she sneered his nickname, emphasizing the insult.

"Eager to give us your money, too? That's the first whore that ever offered to pay _me,_ " one of the ones who hadn't been nicknamed laughed.

"Hey if she wants to give us her money, she's welcome to," said the other.

Chung-Hee smirked and leaned up against the wall, as the rest of the soldiers placed their bets.

"All right. The rules are as follows. The match goes until knock out, or until surrender. No lethal moves, nothing that would render a warrior unable to perform his – or her – role, so nothing crippling. No weapons and no ninja spells. Got it?" Bibeo said, after he had collected the sums.

"Yeah, I got it," Karin agreed.

"Got it," Babo said.

"Alright. Begin," Bibeo nodded.

This was going to be _so much fun_. Karin's grin widened and she took a ready stance. Babo attempted to rush her, and it was immediately apparent that he'd never fought a woman before and wasn't ready for the difference in centres of gravity. Tossing him was simplicity itself. His recovery was good – someone had clearly drilled him well on recovering from a throw. As he got to his knee, ready to spring into another attack, she flew at him with her feet. He had to dodge her kicks, which were lightning fast and came one after the other.

Babo quickly realized this wasn't going to be as easy as he initially thought. Aside from his initial rush, he'd been on the defensive for the entire fight. And Karin wasn't letting up on the assault. He blocked several strikes, and then she finally made a mistake he could exploit. It was a small one, but he moved on it immediately. It wasn't enough to do much more than throw her on the defensive, but now it was she who was blocking strikes.

The audience called its jeers and encouragements at the two fighters, who circled one another, both backing off to assess the situation after Karin managed to catch Babo's hand mid-strike, deliver a rather nasty kick to his shins, and backflip out of his reach.

They sized each other up for a moment, and then attacked simultaneously. Karin dodged his blows, stepping to the side and twisting her body in a lightning-fast move. Within a heartbeat she had his arm. He reacted predictably, as she had planned, and she moved to the next level of the hold. Within a few heartbeats he was on his chest on the ground with his arms in a vicious hold. Any movement on his part would dislocate both of his shoulders.

"Give up?" Karin asked cheerfully.

"Fuck you bit—ow! Ok, I give up," Babo said, as Karin tugged on his arms gently, sending pain through him. The two who had bet against her groaned at Babo's defeat. Chung-Hee was still smirking, giving Karin a rather affectionate glance. Lucky for him, she wasn't looking at him.

"Pay up, boys," she grinned, releasing poor defeated Babo, who sighed on the floor.

The loser and his supporters reluctantly settled their wagers, and Karin grinned, feeling both smug _and_ richer.

Babo looked at Chung-Hee, realizing the Sonamu guardsman had obviously known what he was in for. "I walked into _that_ , didn't I?" Babo said.

"Oh yeah. If this had been a serious battle, you'd have been a shower of chunks by now. I've seen that girl kill plenty of people on the trip here," he said.

"Don't talk like I not here, boy!" Karin snapped, elbowing the guardsman in the gut. Chung-Hee chuffed, and the others laughed at him.

"Hey, girl, how many men have you killed?" Bibeo asked.

Karin shrugged. "Lost count," she replied. "On this trip? Maybe 13, 15. Gaara get more but he got that sand," she admitted. "I scout mostly."

"A _scout_ killed 13 or 15 people?" one of the bet losers gaped, giving Chung-Hee a glance as if to ask if she was serious. The Sonamu guardsman nodded.

"I saw her do it," Chung-Hee confirmed.

"I'm lucky to be alive right now, aren't I?" Babo realized aloud. Karin smirked at his conclusion.

"Yeah," she smirked.

"Are all ninja girls as good as you are?" Bamnamu asked.

"No. I was famous S-rank criminal," she smirked. They gaped at her. Chung-Hee looked impressed.

"That's, uh, did you say _criminal_?" Chung-Hee asked. He hadn't known _that_ part of the story.

"Well yeah, until Konoha catch me and take me as … I don't have word. Means earn place by work hard," she said.

"Uh, repentance or atonement?" Bibeo suggested.

"Something like that," Karin replied.

"Pardon me," a tremulous voice called, and the soldiers and Karin looked up to see a servant poking her head into the barracks training room. She looked to be about 14, and very unsure of herself. "Has anyone here seen a shinobi woman by the name of Karin-ssi?" The girl asked.

"That me," Karin said. "You need something?"

"Oh, Karin-ssi, there you are. Please come with me, the Gukgong has requested that you and your superior grace him with your presence as his guests of honour tonight," the servant replied.

"Guests of honour? She _must_ have killed a lot of guys," said one of the two who hadn't had nicknames revealed.

"She took out a Gughwa squad on her own, and then some, in a single battle," Chung-Hee said, as Karin went to follow the servant, ignoring the chattering guardsmen.

"Are you serious? Man, you have _got_ to tell us about your trip. It sounds like a real adventure. We don't get any adventure sitting here in Danpung so far from the front…" She heard the conversations continue as she left the barracks. Obviously, Chung-Hee was going to have his work cut out for him as a storyteller for the next little while.

The servant led her further into the compound, to a set of nicely appointed rooms. It seems she really was to be some kind of honoured guest, if the rooms were this nice. There was the fact that they were _rooms_ rather than just _a_ room, too. The servant left her in the receiving room, a comfortable sitting room with several western-style chairs of rattan, a rare luxury in the eastern world. Karin explored, discovering a beautiful bathroom and a bedroom, where all of her few possessions had already been brought.

She wasted no time; after stripping off her worn travel clothes and dropping them into the straw basket for laundry, she climbed into the marble-lined tub and got ready to do some serious relaxing. She spent about an hour in the tub, investigating the various scented soaps and oils as she bathed. As she was climbing into the terry robe provided, she heard someone entering her receiving room. It turned out to be a pair of servants, armed with clothing and styling products.

"Chan-Sook-yang sent us to help you prepare for tonight's feast," one of the young girls stated, as Karin arched an eyebrow at them.

"Ok then," Karin replied. So Chan-Sook could think of someone _besides_ herself? Stop the press! Karin _was_ actually somewhat grateful; her wardrobe right now consisted of the very worn kunoichi outfit she'd been wearing when she was deposited in the forest along with Gaara, and a few civvies she'd picked up in the towns they'd gone through. None of it was exactly the kind of stuff she would want to go dressed in to the feast of a feudal lord.

Karin allowed the servants to dress her, apply cosmetics, and put her hair in an odd braided bun at the back of her head, adorned with jewellery and ribbons. The two girls fussed over her as they worked, exclaiming that the rigours of the road had roughened her skin and damaged her hair, but that the cosmetics would hide all that. They were both amazed with the colour of Karin's hair. Neither girl had ever seen such an interesting hair colour before, and were full of praise over it, despite its condition.

Finally, they finished their work, and Karin stared at herself in the mirror. The silken outfit was different from the traditional kimonos and furisodes that she was used to seeing at ultra-formal occasions. The skirt was bright red, with a thin purple sash, and the shirt she was given was yellow. Orange cuffs brought the ensemble together. Karin thought she looked like a fireball. She wasn't displeased with the effect.

When they asked her what she thought, she nodded and murmured her approval with her stilted language. The girls beamed and proclaimed her beautiful. They led her through the compound, to a room where other people were waiting. Karin spotted Gaara right away. He was in his Kage robes, but his gourd must have been left in his room. He looked vaguely grumpy. Then his eyes met hers for a moment, and his expression went blank.

Gaara saw Karin as she approached, and was stunned. He froze. Ok, he'd been wondering if she was going to show up in her travel-worn battle gear or in the nondescript civilian outfits they'd both picked up. It seemed she'd found another source of clothing. She was dressed in the same kind of formal-wear that other high-rank guests were attending in. Someone had done her vivid red hair up into a bun with gold-toned jewellery and chains decorating it. On her face was a trace of high-quality cosmetics.

The clothes were strange, but she wore them well. Very well. She looked like she belonged here. He carefully stifled all thoughts in the direction of Karin's appearance, and turned back to looking at the entrance, where a majordomo was preparing to announce the guests.

Still, he was well aware when she took a place beside him. "Whatever happened to 'operational security?'" she snapped under her breath.

"I was identified. The Gukgong recognized me. He's hired Suna's shinobi before," Gaara muttered, stifling a flash of annoyance, and then feeling even more annoyed that she'd made him feel he had to justify himself. He shouldn't have to justify himself to any Konoha probationers. "Operational security still stands outside of this compound."

Karin snorted contemptuously, and Gaara felt annoyed again. He hoped the Gukgong didn't seat them together. It would be difficult to keep it together at the table if he had to sit there with her sniping at him all night. And that _really_ wouldn't make him, or his village, look all that wonderful in the eyes of a client.

Perhaps fortunately for them both, after they were announced and brought to the head table, they were seated apart. Gaara was given a spot between Beong-Kyun and the captain of the guard. Karin was seated between Chan-Sook (who was at her betrothed's side) and an old woman who was introduced to her as Beong-Kyun's grandmother.

The old woman was nearly deaf, and in the way of those who were nearly deaf, quite loud. And opinionated. She immediately demanded to know what noble house Karin belonged to. Fortunately, she forgot what she was demanding before Chan-Sook and Karin could stammer out an explanation.

Down in the gallery were the other guests, including the minor nobility and soldiery who were not the guests of honour. The two shinobi spotted the table with the Sonamu guards. Bon-Hwa was in discussion with someone else at the table, but Chung-Hee spotted them back and gave a little wave. Karin quirked her lip at that. Gaara's blank stare became a little less frozen.

Servants came around to the tables with food. The high table was served first, starting with the old woman and a few other elders. After the high table was served, the people seated down below were given food. Both shinobi enjoyed the meal, sampling nearly everything that was brought to them. Karin liked most of the food, although she avoided the mandu, which looked to be like this country's version of gyoza, which she loathed. Gaara managed to insist that he did not like sweets in order to avoid the bean paste confections. It was partially true – he didn't really like sweets all _that_ much, but he _hated_ bean paste confections with a passion.

All through the meal, servants came and refilled the small glasses of alcohol that were placed before each diner. Gaara avoided his, not wanting to risk drunkenness, which might lead to a loss of control. Karin, on the other hand, experienced no such inhibition. She took small sips of the drink in front of her, not really noticing when it was refilled. It had the effect of obscuring just how much she consumed.

Gaara spoke both with Beong-Kyun and with the military captain he was seated with. He was actually enjoying himself somewhat. Both the Gukgong and his captain were intelligent men, and the captain was soundly versed in military theory and tactics. Gaara found the supper which he had dreaded actually passed quite pleasantly and all too quickly.

Karin's experience was far more miserable. The old woman continued to talk at her without ever letting her reply, and she was pretty sure if she gave the old bat a piece of her mind it would cause a diplomatic incident. The only good part of it was Chan-Sook, and that was just comparatively. Chan-Sook nattered about inconsequentialities, when she wasn't busy mooning after her betrothed.

At least _that_ was going alright. Chan-Sook and Beong-Kyun were getting along like a house on fire, and both shinobi doubted the girl would make it to her wedding night intact. There was no doubt that Beong-Kyun would be the one deflowering her, either. They were clearly both _very interested_ in each other.

They sat through the long meal, and then through the entertainment. A poet recited part of an old story, a tale of star-crossed lovers from warring houses. It wasn't familiar to Karin, but she caught onto the plot fast enough – these old tragic romances were fairly predictable. The old woman exclaimed loudly that the tale was a favourite and complained that the poet wasn't loud enough. Gaara did his best to feign polite interest while totally ignoring the story.

Finally, the entertainment ended. Guests continued to linger a while, although people were beginning to exit. Karin finally decided she'd had enough, and made her farewells to Chan-Sook, and reluctantly to the granny, who called her a good girl and told her to go catch a good man. Karin tried not to scowl at that.


	9. Chapter 8 - Sometimes it pays to listen to the whole conversation. Really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, folks! The very next chapter, where they finally get out on their own away from the Korean marriage caravan. 93d1c5 has very kindly gone through this with a fine-toothed comb and let me know what needs to be fixed. Thank you! 93d1c5 has given it the old looksee and seal of approval (arf). I'm loving seeing your speculation and enjoyment, and watching the reader count go up as more and more people enjoy this. Sorry I'm late, I got caught up in family stuff.

Shinobi should always know where they are. Even blindfolded and bound, they should attempt to memorize the route they took so if their bonds are loosed they can escape. Unconsciousness was really the only excuse for not being able to do that. So Karin was more than a little disgusted with herself for failing to exercise one of the most basic shinobi skills in the task of returning to her room. She wandered tipsily through the corridors, looking for her room. Had she really had that much to drink? It had been hard to keep track of with the servants continuously refilling her glass.

Naturally, all the servants seemed to have vanished. Perhaps they were having entertainment of their own, now that the biggest parts of throwing the great feast were over with. They'd no doubt emerge to clean up after the last of the guests vacated, but there would probably be some time between now and then. At the moment, there were none to be seen, and none to help point Karin in the right direction.

Alright, maybe she needed to face the facts; she was more than just tipsy tonight. Somewhere along the line she had crossed into drunk, and she didn't do that often. The last time she had actually drank enough to get drunk had been six months ago when Naruto had _finally_ proposed to Hinata and all the girls had proceeded to take the Hyūga heiress out to get roaring drunk. That reminded her, the wedding was in just another three months. She hoped she'd be back in Konoha for it. And alive. Alive would definitely be a bonus.

She lurched into something less solid than a wall and a whole lot warmer. Hands steadied her. "Karin-ssshii,' a familiar voice slurred. She looked up, and the slightly blurry image consolidated into Chung-Hee, smiling down at her. "What are you doing here?" he managed. Had he always been that good looking when he smiled? She blinked at him and gave him a slightly puzzled look.

"I think I trying to go back to my room," she managed to get the sentence out without too much difficulty. It took a lot of concentration.

"I've got a better idea," Chung-Hee grinned. Karin could smell alcohol on his breath. She was clearly not the only one who'd been drinking.

"Wha's that," she stated. Chung-Hee's grin widened, and suddenly he leaned down and kissed her.

 _Is this getting to be some kind of habit? Am I wearing kiss bait or something?_ Karin couldn't help but think as the guardsman took her lips. But he wasn't that bad of a kisser. And she was intoxicated enough that she wasn't reacting with her customary violence. It was actually kind of nice. She let him kiss her, even kissing back a little. The guardsman's arms were around her, and it felt good to be held.

Gaara, who had also decided that he'd had enough of the party, chose that moment to come around the corner and spot Chung-Hee and Karin in a lip lock. His eyes widened and he retreated back around the corner before he was spotted. Unlike Karin, he was stone-cold sober. If he'd been drunk, he might not have been able to control himself right then.

His heart pounded and his thoughts whirled. Jealousy and anger surged through him. It wasn't made any better at the sound of them kissing. A large part of him wanted to turn them both to paste with his sand right now, but he was rational enough to realize that one, his sand was back in his room and two, slaughtering Chung-Hee and Karin in Beong-Kyun's compound would most _definitely_ cause an international incident. So he stood with his back to the wall and his palms flat against the cool plaster, trying to calm his breathing and heart rate, and suppress the hot and cold flashes passing through him.

The two finally broke their kiss, needing to pause for breath. "You look beautiful in that hanbok," Chung-Hee told her, and she could see his dark eyes were filled with desire. The look he gave her smouldered.

"Thanks," Karin said, not really knowing what else to say.

"I've never met anyone like you. You're amash-amashing, you know that? You fight like a tiger. I bet you're a tiger in bed," he grinned. She blushed. He kept right on going, suddenly becoming serious. "Karin-ssi, come back to Shonamu with me. Be my wife. You wouldn't have to worry about people coming to hunt you down, that far away. And you'd become one of the guard. Sonamu could use shomeone like you."

Gaara froze, grinding his teeth. It was true; no Anbu would seek Karin in _this_ kingdom, the most anyone would do was circulate a few wanted posters at the port towns. Way down south in Sonamu province, she could live out her life in relative peace. She would no doubt prosper, especially with someone like Chung-Hee. The silence drew out, making him worry that she would agree. Why he cared, he couldn't say. He shouldn't care. She was just a probationer, an ex-criminal. He shouldn't give a fig about her fate. But somehow over the last month, she'd become nakama. And more than that; he wanted her. His stomach was a churning pit as he listened for her answer.

Karin thought about it. To spend the rest of her life as Chung-Hee's wife… he didn't have any chakra to speak of, and while he was handy with a bow, he was ultimately far weaker than she was. And to be stuck in this misogynistic country for the rest of her life, well, that idea didn't really appeal to her either. Yeah, she might get a position in the guard, up until the point where society started to demand she reproduce, and then she'd no doubt be pulled from active duty and relegated to the role of a housewife. Karin did not want to be a housewife. Karin did not want to suborn herself to Chung-Hee, or any other man. No matter how good a kisser they were.

"I can't," she said. From behind the corner, Gaara breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. "Konoha is my home. I have to go back." That was true too. For all she was worried about what kind of reception she'd have upon returning back at the village, Konoha _was_ her home now. She'd go back and at least _try_ to get clemency. And this damn curse seal removed.

"Oh well," he said, philosophically, and kissed her again. Gaara could hear it, and fumed in silence from his lurking spot, his fingernails biting crescents into his palms. Weren't they getting tired of this yet? It seemed like forever before they stopped again. Gaara listened intently.

"Well, if you won't come back with me and be my wife, will you spend tonight with me?" Chung-Hee asked with a grin. "I can promish you won't regret it." His tone was playful.

If he'd had his sand there, they would have both been dead at that moment. The rage and jealousy just about took over Gaara at hearing that. Deciding he'd better leave before he lost control, he struggled for focus and performed a transportation jutsu, dissolving in a swirl of sand.

If Karin had been sober, she would have probably noticed the chakra expenditure nearby. But she definitely wasn't sober, and she didn't notice. Instead, she looked away from Chung-Hee. That moment in the forest with Gaara came back to her with suddenness. When she closed her eyes briefly, she saw his pale blue-green eyes, burning with intensity. Chung-Hee was a good kisser, and attractive, but he wasn't what she wanted right now. She could admit to herself that if it had been Gaara kissing her in the hallway and propositioning her, she would probably take him up on it, but then again, she was that drunk.

Chung-Hee sensed her hesitation and saw her distant look, and correctly deduced the reason. "Ah, shtuck on _him_ , huh? Well, I can't compete with that," he said, a little sadly. "Let me help you find your room, at leasht."

Karin blushed, feeling a little embarrassed at being caught out like that. "Thank you," she managed.

They somehow found a servant and enlisted directions back to Karin's room. Outside her door, Chung-Hee stole another kiss, 'for the road', and Karin decided to indulge him in that much. He really wasn't all that bad at it. Afterwards, she stumbled into her rooms and managed to pull off the finery and toss it on the rattan furniture, before finding her bed and falling into a dead sleep.

In his rooms, Gaara lay in the darkness, in his travelling clothes and on top of the covers, staring at the ceiling and trying to keep his sand in his gourd. He felt deeply conflicted, angry and sick with jealousy at what he'd witnessed; yet logic tried to intrude on him, insisting that she _was not his_ and he had no right to feel this way. It didn't help him _stop_ feeling like this. He passed a miserable night, tossing and turning, his head filled with invasive thoughts of Karin and Chung-Hee.

* * *

The next morning sucked for Karin, who decided that the servants who kept refilling her cup were sadists. Sitting up, she rubbed her pounding forehead with a moan, and blinked sleepily. It was still early, but her internal ninja clock was working at least, even if her internal ninja map had failed last night. Time to peel herself out of her nice, warm, comfortable bed and get ready for the rigours of the road. With Gaara.

She felt a brief moment of dread, and then ruthlessly suppressed it.

The bathroom was just as nice this morning as it had been yesterday. She felt far more human after forcing herself to bathe. When she exited the bathroom, she discovered that someone had delivered breakfast. It was waiting for her in the receiving room. She ate it, wondering idly if this was how nobles and rich people lived every day. She could get used to it.

While she had been at the feast, her clothing had been taken for laundering. Now she found it cleaned and mended and folded neatly, and resting on the rattan divan. She located all her holsters, weapons, and gear, and got ready for travelling.

Now sober, her sense of direction was somewhat better than last night. She went the way she thought she'd come with the servant and found herself out in the courtyard, where the sun was slipping above the horizon. She leaned against the wall casually, waiting for Gaara to show up.

She didn't have to wait long. He emerged from the dwelling, brick-red hair still wet from bathing, dressed for travel and with his gourd in its harness. Spotting her, he gave her a slight glare as he walked for the centre of the courtyard. Seeing Karin standing there brought back reminders of the night before, watching her in Chung-Hee's arms. He'd past a mostly sleepless and rather miserable night because of her, and right now he was not feeling all that charitable.

"You ready?" she asked, her tone hinting that he was late. He frowned at her.

"Yes," he said flatly. She straightened up from the wall and took a few steps into the courtyard, nearing him.

"Karin-ssi! Are you going?" A high female voice called as a door swung open. Both shinobi turned to look, and spotted Chan-Sook dashing out to meet them. Karin braced herself as the young woman flung herself at her in a hug. The kunoichi was unused to this kind of display of affection and she felt somewhat embarrassed as the young hime clutched her in an embrace.

"You can't leave without saying good-bye!" Chan-Sook declared.

"Uh," said Karin, "Err, good-bye, Chan-Sook-yang."

"Good-bye, Karin-ssi. Be careful out there, and get home safely, ok? I'm going to miss you," Chan-Sook burbled.

"Uh," Karin said, intelligently. "I be careful." She desperately tried to think of something appropriate to say. "Good luck with you wedding. I sure you and Gukgong will be very happy together," she finally managed.

Chan-Sook beamed. "Thank you, I'm sure we will. And I won't forget what you taught me, don't worry! I'll make him the happiest husband in history!" the girl said, just a little bit loudly. Karin flushed. Chan-Sook released her and walked over to Gaara. To him, she bowed formally and respectfully.

"Gaara-gun, thank you for protecting me on our journey. I am sorry for causing you trouble," she said, tone very formal. Gaara gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. Karin wondered why Gaara got bows and respect while she got full-body tackles. The privileges of rank, no doubt. She frowned absently.

"You're welcome. Be a good wife for Beong-Kyun-gun. I wish you a happy and fruitful marriage," he said. Chan-Sook blushed and smiled.

While they had been talking, the guardsmen had emerged from the barracks, where they watched Chan-Sook say her farewells. Dak-Ho gave a congenial wave to Gaara and Karin. Gaara inclined his head in acknowledgement, and Karin waved back. Bon-Hwa and Chung-Hee approached the two shinobi.

"Gaara-gun, Karin-ssi, have a pleasant and safe journey. I hope you get back to your own country in time," Bon-Hwa said. "I have been honoured to travel with such powerful warriors."

"Thank you," Gaara said. Karin nodded.

"Thank for hiring us," Karin said. Gaara gave her a slight glance that clearly said 'let me do the talking.' She suppressed a flash of annoyance at his high-handedness.

"Yeah, you two are impressive," Chung-Hee agreed. "Karin-ssi," he smiled his charming smile at her, ignoring the fuming Gaara nearby. "You take care of yourself. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," he winked.

Karin flushed. Gaara seethed silently beside her. How dare they flirt openly like that, in front of him? It was bad enough that the two of them had done _who knows what_ last night. He suppressed the urge to kill the guardsman.

"I think I do alright, Chung-Hee-ssi," she said.

"And you take care of Karin-ssi, hey, Gaara-gun? Don't let anything bad happen to her," Chung-Hee turned his attention to the sand shinobi. Gaara met his slightly challenging look with a cool stare of his own, even though inside he was still twisting with jealousy.

"She will be fine," the sand shinobi replied coldly. "It is time for us to leave, Karin," he said.

"Good-bye," she said again. Both guardsmen repeated the farewell. The two shinobi turned towards the gate, where the Gukgong's guards let them out.

"I find it strange that the Gukgong didn't come to see us off," Karin said, in their own tongue, once they cleared the gate and started walking down the park-like lane to the city proper.

"I said my farewells to him before reaching the courtyard," Gaara stated. Karin once again felt miffed at the slight. The damn misogynists had left her out of it yet again. It was clear that the Gukgong didn't consider a kunoichi worth his time, but _Gaara_ got to sit at his right hand and got given personal greetings and farewells.

With unspoken accord, they walked towards the marketplace. Now that Bon-Hwa wasn't provisioning them, they would have to secure rations and other supplies for travelling. Both of them had rain ponchos and lightweight tents, and a few other goods they had picked up along the way, in addition to the ninja supplies that they had been carrying at the party. But there were other supplies that they would need. Briefly, Karin wondered if she would be able to stop at a perfumer's before they left the city.

"So, how do we get to Beullu Sawon?" she asked Gaara, after they'd been walking in silence for several minutes. Gaara suddenly realized that he had only a vague notion of how to get there, and that he'd need a map. Bon-Hwa had supplied navigation thus far, obviating the need for a map. He frowned slightly and ignored the question. Karin silently fumed at the snubbing.

This early in the morning, the stalls in the marketplace were still setting up, though there were plenty of people who were willing to sell to them. They browsed the stalls and purchased supplies. Karin spotted a perfumer opening, and turned to go towards the stall.

"This way," Gaara said. His voice still held that sub-zero tone it had all morning. Karin huffed an exasperated breath and turned an annoyed eye towards him. "I see a map-seller's," he said, walking off towards it without waiting to see if she was following. She trailed after him, feeling put out.

Gaara noted her annoyance just enough to disregard it. Whatever she had been about to go do, no doubt it was a waste of time and worthless. This was more important. And he was still pretty pissed off about last night. Every time he closed his eyes he would see her in Chung-Hee's arms. What he'd witnessed was enough, and what his mind concocted from that brief glimpse and composites of Kankurō's dirty magazines was _more than_ enough _._ It was gnawing at his insides like acid. Her annoyance didn't assuage his jealousy, but it did make him feel a sense of perverse satisfaction.

They entered the small shop, catching sight of the waterproof scroll cases and a few display maps. A small chime went off as they opened the door. A clerk at a desk looked up from the map he was diligently copying.

"Can I help you?" the clerk asked, politely, glancing at Gaara and Karin. His eyes lingered on Karin noticeably longer than they did on Gaara, which annoyed the sand nin.

"We're travelling to Beullu Sawon. I would like to purchase a map of the roads," Gaara stated.

"Certainly. One moment." The clerk turned away from his work. He went to a rack of scrolls, looking through the rolled-up paper until he found the one he wanted. He straightened up and went back to the desk. He unrolled the scroll on a clear spot of desk. "Here you go, these are the roads to Beullu Sawon. As you see, there are three," Gaara and Karin both leaned in to see. "This one is not used during the rainy season, it's too treacherous. This is the imperial highway here, lined in red—,"

"Which is the shortest route?" Gaara cut him off. The clerk looked slightly flustered.

"This one, the other highland route. It's 50 km shorter than the imperial highway, but—,"

Gaara interrupted him again. 50 km was two days of travel shaved off the trip. "How much for the map."

The clerk stated a price. Then he tried once again to warn the brusque shinobi that, although the highland route was 50 km shorter, the road was bad and it was hard going. It wasn't an impassable road this time of the year like the third road, but it would amount to a half a week longer travel than the highway. But Gaara waved off the clerk's attempted speech, and the clerk never got farther than "but that road…"

Finally, the clerk decided to let this annoying redheaded man just have his way. He was a big enough asshole to deserve a little inconveniencing on the road. At least his money was good.

Gaara purchased a scroll case to protect the map and strapped it underneath his gourd, and thanked the clerk brusquely enough that it was barely polite. The clerk frowned and said "you're welcome." The shopkeeper felt a little bit of sympathy for the poor redheaded girl who was going to end up slogging through mud and dodging landslides with _this_ asshole for two weeks. Oh well. Hopefully they both made it to Beullu Sawon intact, if only for the girl's sake. She didn't seem like an asshole. _If only he knew_.

They exited the map-seller's. Karin was about to veer back to the market to go visit that perfumer's stall, but Gaara interrupted before she could take two steps. "I want to make good time today while the sun lasts. Let's go," he said, shortly. With a slight scowl, she fell in beside him, walking towards the eastern gate of the city. Her next chance would be in Beullu Sawon. She was determined to check out the scents then. A foreign country should _certainly_ have something new and interesting.

The sun lasted most of the day as they walked along the road. The map indicated that they should follow the imperial highway for a day before the highland route branched off from the main road. The smooth stones of the road were easy to walk upon for the two shinobi, though both found they missed the horses. Well, Karin missed the horses. Gaara missed the pace. There was no reason they should burn chakra to rush, so they were content to walk.

Nightfall found them between villages, and they camped off the side of the road in their tents. Gaara set up his usual perimeter guard using a small amount of his sand. Neither of them were really expecting trouble; they were just two travellers, dressed in plain travel clothes, nothing about them bespoke wealth. And now that they were out of the employ of Bon-Hwa and Chan-Sook's carriage guard, there were no enemies who would be looking for them on the road. The provinces east of Danpung were in a state of peace, according to the Gukgong's general. The most they would have to worry about were sporadic bandits.

They passed two days on the highland route without killing each other. The third day dawned overcast but dry, although there was a promise (or perhaps a threat) of rain in the air as they walked. As with the days on the road before reaching Danpung City, both shinobi were more or less attempting to avoid finding reasons to speak with each other. They limited their words to strictly functional conversation.

Karin was still not sure what she was going to do about Gaara. She remembered enough about the night of the feast, kissing Chung-Hee in the corridor and the conversation that had ensued. She'd realized then, when she was too drunk to guard against the realization, that she did indeed want Gaara. As much as he was an asshole whose sole purpose in life appeared to be to piss her off, she still wanted him. It really wasn't fair that someone so cold and overbearing could be so attractive. She still burned at the thought of the kiss in the forest. Why did he have to go and do that? If he hadn't done that, she could still pretend in her own mind that she wasn't interested in him. How the hell could she be turned on by being _dominated_ like that? There was something wrong with her for sure.

Gaara continued to seethe in silence. He'd long ago come to the realization that he wanted Karin, even if he didn't know quite what to do about it, yet. The jealousy he felt was still burning up inside him, especially when he caught flashes of fading bruises on her arms, underneath her sleeves, when they ate rations outside their tents before sleeping the night before. In the sordid depths of his imaginations and insecurities, her kissing Chung-Hee turned into wild crazy sex that he could only vaguely imagine.

The mental images grew worse with time, as he started to wonder if she'd stopped with Chung-Hee or if she'd done the whole barracks too. Dak-Ho had been smiling when they left Beong-Kyun's household… He dismissed that as paranoia. Dak-Ho had never given an inclination of interest in Karin, unlike Chung-Hee, who had pretty much never _stopped_.

He gave a slight sigh as he trudged, telling himself to get a grip. He didn't know what happened that night between a drunken Karin and Chung-Hee. For all he knew they could have had a cup of tea together and chatted amiably about flowers… yeah right. He'd seen how Chung-Hee kissed her. She wasn't fighting back, she wasn't running away. She'd even looked a little bit like she was enjoying it. He pushed away the thought of her slightly flushed cheeks and half-lidded eyes. Seriously, did she just kiss everyone she came across? He willfully ignored the fact that he'd been the one to initiate in the forest.

They both brooded in silence as they walked. Days ago, they had reached the place where the road branched, and they left the well-maintained imperial highway for the narrower highland road. At first, the road wasn't so bad. The grade started out mild, and the road was in good condition. However, as they climbed higher into the mountains, the quality of the road began to deteriorate. It was no longer paved, but a clay-bedded track.

In the afternoon, Gaara had something else to brood about when the rain that had been promising for the last few days finally broke through the clouds and began to fall. The waterproofing on his rain cloak was beginning to fail, and there was a drip going down the back of his neck. This, naturally, did nothing to improve his mood. Especially when the rain went from being a drizzle, to a steady fall, to a torrential downpour. That _really_ made him less than happy.

Visibility was poor through the sheeting rain, and the water was falling so hard and heavy that it was bouncing off the road. The road itself became considerably more difficult to navigate as the clay became swollen and slick with water. Their feet, clad in shinobi sandal-boots, squished into the sludge, and they had to use chakra to keep themselves from sliding or sinking too much. Thick globs of it caked their feet, weighing them down and making moving difficult. Gaara considered using his sand to make the going easier, but knew that he'd be burning through his chakra way too fast for no real gain. It's a pity they were going uphill, if they'd been going downhill, they could conceivably just sit down on the slippery mud and slide down on their asses. It would be messy, but quick. And a very small part of Gaara acknowledged that it might even be fun, too.

They slogged up the slippery trail. It was clear to Karin at least that they would need to take shelter somewhere, because they weren't making very good progress and it would be sunset soon. All they were doing were burning off their chakra reserves for no real benefit just to keep their footing. She wiped water from her lenses futilely, and attempted to see if there was any shelter to be had anywhere in sight. The rain was coming down in such thick sheets that it was almost impossible to see more than 20 metres.

She paused on the road, scanning the slopes nearby. And then there was a sudden lull in the rain. She removed her glasses and rubbed them with a cloth to dry them and replaced them, as Gaara trudged ahead of her, ignoring her pause. As she blinked her eyes clear, she spotted something off the road, further up the mountain slope, through the trees. A cave, perhaps?

"Hey, I think I see a cave or something we can use for shelter," she called out. Gaara halted and turned to look at her.

"Where?" he asked tersely, and she felt slightly amused that the indomitable Sabaku no Gaara was clearly as miserable as she was, right now. Rank didn't stop the rain. She smirked.

"Up there," she pointed in the direction of the opening.

"I don't see it," he said. Perhaps his angle was bad. Karin watched as he made his sand eye and sent it up in the way she was pointing, as the rain began to fall thickly once more. "Oh, wait, there it is. You're right, it's a cave. Big enough to shelter us, at least. I don't see any animals about."

She used her Kagura Shingan. Nothing in the direction of the cave. "It's clear," she said.

"Let's go," he replied. They leapt through the trees, mutually deciding in their haste to be dry that it was worth the chakra expenditure. Within several minutes both shinobi were at the mouth of the cave, just as the downpour resumed. They scanned the area one more time using their respective abilities, and convinced that there were no overt threats about, got into the cave as quickly as they could determine it was safe.

Karin lit a small electric lantern that she'd managed to score in one of the little towns they'd passed through. It was designed to run for up to thirty minutes at a time with hand cranking. She hadn't seen a lot of technology in this empire – much like Five Countries, animals and people did most of the work and electric gadgets were still curios. But she'd found this and snapped it up. She placed it on a rock, providing illumination to the space.

It wasn't a bad cave – the floor was relatively flat and wouldn't be too uneven to prevent sleep. There was enough room for two shinobi, and then some. The ceiling was fairly high. An uneven ring of fire-reddened stones and a scorch mark gave evidence that there had been humans in this cave before, even if there weren't any now. There were some cracked ruminant bones that indicated that at one time something that ate meat had temporarily inhabited the space, but once again there was no sign of anything now. Just Karin and Gaara. If only they had some dry wood.

Gaara removed his gourd and set it against the sloping cave wall. On a ledge of rock, he placed his packs, and then he took off his rain poncho. He would dry faster without it. Karin watched him dispassionately, stripping off her own poncho and shaking it out in a corner of the cave. She was still dry underneath, but condensation was making her damp. It would be better to hang out the poncho overnight than to keep it on.

"This will do," Gaara said, fishing through his packs for a ration bar.

"Yeah," Karin agreed. She checked the perimeter with another electric light, making sure there were no other passageways or anything she might have missed with her Kagura Shingan. Then she strung some warning wires with tags near the entrance – if anything came up against them, the seals would alert her instantly. It was a perimeter warning system that worked well in a cave like this, but not so well in an open space.

Gaara put down his own perimeter warning of sand in several slim bands outside the entrance of the cave. After the week in Gughwa province, setting down the perimeter as soon as they made camp had become an automatic habit, even if it wasn't his watch. He would wake if anything stepped on that line. His sand would alert him instantly.

"I wish we had dry wood," Karin said, echoing a sentiment that Gaara felt. It was entirely possible that Gaara felt that sentiment more keenly, considering Karin's poncho remained waterproof. He wanted to dry off and warm up. Right now he desperately missed the desert. He was wet, miserable, and out of sorts. And being in close proximity with Karin wasn't helping his mood at all.

"Don't you know any fire jutsus that could dry wood or light wet wood?" he demanded, feeling irked.

Karin gave a snort. "Konoha isn't going to give a probationer its secret jutsus," she snapped, sarcastically. "Don't you know any special wind _blow drying techniques_?"

Gaara stiffened at her tone, and shot her an irritated look. "Yes, if you don't mind burning _sawdust_ ," he snapped right back. "Have you learned _nothing_ useful?" he asked, conveniently forgetting her Kagura Shingan, which had been _very_ useful in the past, and her fighting abilities. None of those were going to make him dry and warm. Never mind that his techniques were about as conducive to becoming dry and warm as hers were.

"I studied under Orochimaru himself!" Karin retorted, indignant. Seriously, how could she find this overbearing, self-important windbag at _all_ attractive? All he ever did was piss her off and order her around like she was one of his underlings. And now he was disparaging her training? Ok, so she might not know Konoha's secret fire jutsus, but she knew a lot of stuff, and a _lot_ of it was forbidden, too. She was strong! She was independent! She was skilled! She was a former S-ranked criminal! And she wasn't about to let this sand putz forget it.

"And apparently all you learned while in the snake's freak parade was how to be a better whore," Gaara mocked. "Did you have fun showing Chung-Hee your 'special techniques'?" he snarled, letting his frustration and jealousy crawl out like vermin from a suddenly turned rock.

" _What_!?" Karin eyed him furiously, burning with outrage. "I don't know how _the fuck_ you came up with tha—,"

"Don't play stupid with me," he interrupted, glaring back at her. Something burned inside the pit of his stomach, a slithering combination of bile, anger, jealousy, and writhing desire. "I saw you and him in the hallway, kissing." His voice rose in a mocking falsetto. "'Oh Karin, won't you come with me to Sonamu? No? Well why don't you come sleep with me tonight?'" His tone lowered, becoming dark with anger. "Did you screw just him, or the entire barracks as well?"

Karin was livid. She inhaled a furious breath and drew herself back for a retort. "If you _must_ know, _I turned him down_. It seems you failed to continue in your cowardly eavesdropping long enough to find that out!" She didn't know whether to be pissed off or relieved that Gaara had seemingly missed the key point of that conversation where she'd all but admitted that she wanted _him_.

"Then where did you get those bruises?" he demanded, gesturing to her mesh-covered arms.

Karin couldn't believe this. She rolled her eyes and snarled at him, " _Those_ I got in a fight in the barracks against some dipshit Danpung soldier who thought he could take on a kunoichi. I won. _And_ I made a bundle on it, too."

Gaara looked down his nose at her, covering up his internal relief. He was fairly certain he believed her, but he was still angry. And this verbal sparring wasn't helping his mental state any. He tried to ignore the furious red flush of her cheeks and the flash of her red eyes. "Fighting while on duty and gambling over the proceeds? I never gave you leave for any of that."

"On duty!?" she snapped. "That was _after_ you wandered off with the Gukgong for your little sausage party. You _ordered_ me to follow the other guardsmen into the barracks. So I _did_. And the second I opened the door, I got challenged. What did you _expect_ me to do, stand there and smile like a simpering, subservient little imperial woman? I'm a shinobi!" she took in a breath, and when Gaara didn't interrupt her tirade, she continued. "And I don't know how you get off ordering me around like one of your Suna underlings. You're not my Kage. Naruto is."

Gaara's expression blanked, only his narrowing eyes demonstrating his ire. "Until you return to Konoha, I am the only one _here_ with sufficient rank to take command of you, _probationer_. I would _remind_ you that without me, you have no proof that you didn't just leave the village of your own volition. All it would take is one Anbu and five hand seals," he smirked, and that coil of lust/anger tightened inside him. "Tora, Mi, Hitsugi, Tatsu—,"

"Fuck _you!_ " Karin shrieked. When Gaara began naming the five motions in the sequence that would end her life, her eyes had flicked to his still hands, hanging at his sides. His smirk deepened. She went white, and then red, as he casually listed the hand seals, until she screamed out her interruption.

Maybe she shouldn't be surprised that Gaara knew the seal sequence and its purpose. He and Naruto were very close, after all. But she couldn't help but feel just slightly betrayed that her Hokage would let that kind of information slip so casually. That was her _life_! Someday, she would have a _long_ talk with Naruto. _After_ that stupid seal had been removed from her tongue.

She glared back at the smirking Suna nin, and gave a cruel smile of her own. The last four weeks of their verbal sparring had revealed to her a lot of Gaara's buttons. Karin was an S-ranked manipulator. Out came the vitriol. "You may be the only one with rank here. But that's only because you terrorized your way to the top. Face it, if you weren't the 'demon of the sands', you would be _nothing_. No one would care whether you lived or died," she smirked. She was well aware that she was not just treading on thin ice here but stomping the hell out of it. She didn't care. In fact, something about edging so close to danger just thrilled her more.

The curling of his lips from his teeth and the growing blankness in his eyes told her she'd scored a hit. He'd flinched when she'd pulled out the 'demon of the sands' bit. The little part about no one caring about his fate just drove in the knife a little further. She was getting to him. Gaara was well aware that she was deliberately provoking him, but by this point he had ceased to care. The rational part of him was no longer in control. Echoing that night in the forest, his mind roiled with anger and lust.

He took a menacing half step forward, an incongruous and slightly insane half-smile forming on his lips even as his blank blue-green eyes burned into her with flame-hot intensity. His chakra roiled. Karin heard the ominous sound of the cork popping from the gourd and the sand hissing as it slithered to the floor. With a slight internal lurch, she wondered if she'd just signed her death warrant herself – he didn't need the hand seals to execute her. Her mouth went dry and her heart pounded, and she felt a bead of sweat forming on her brow. And between her legs and in the pit of her stomach she felt an unexpected heat. Ok, seriously… _What the fuck?!_ How could she _possibly_ be getting off on this? She closed her eyes briefly, and had nothing but visions of him fucking her. She swallowed.

Her eyes flashed beneath their lenses as she pushed down her growing fear and went in for the kill. "Face it, _Gaara_ ," she made a mockery of his name, drawing deliberate emphasis to the connotations of destruction. "You're nothing but a killer, a monster, trying to fake it as a human!" She was about to add something to that, but the burgeoning syllable became a squawk as his sand lashed out, wrapping around her legs with terrifying rapidity and jerking her down to her knees.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're probably guessing this, but there's going to be lemons in the next chapter. Lots of them. I did promise that the slow burn would be worth it.
> 
> Also, some of you might be wondering why I mentioned fire-reddened stones instead of fire-blackened stones. One of the characteristics of stones used for fires is that they turn red. It's one of the things archaeologists look for - fire cracks and reddening that indicate stones were used in human campfires.


	10. Chapter 9 - Closer, or Pop Goes the Cherry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So during my adventures over the last few years, I had the opportunity to work on a remote construction site. It was on a logging road, on the other end of another logging road, up past mile 101 (colloquially called Wonowon... I know, right?) on the Alaskan Highway in northern British Columbia, Canada. Waaaaaay out in the boonies. I got intimately acquainted with the wonders of clay roads in the rain. Clay roads really are that gloppy. I skidded all over in 3/4 ton pickups (never buy a Dodge Ram for anything but highway, they're crap on gravel and clay and don't offroad worth a shit... even a Toyota is better than a Dodge Ram... my coworkers told me that the best were GMCs), and walked in my steel-toed rubber boots through mud so thick that I would pick up 10 lbs worth (about 4 kilos) walking from one end of the parking lot to the other. I am definitely not exaggerating what a sloppy mess clay roads can be. So... yeah. 50 km shorter, but a hell of a lot longer in the rainy season. I've seen roads so bad it took nearly two hours by truck to go 10 km (6 miles).
> 
> This chapter title is a reference to the Nine Inch Nails song, also from the 90s. For obvious reasons. There are a few lemons in this chapter. The first one skirts non-con. I understand that not all of my readers want to read lemons, and some don't want to read certain kinds of lemons in specific (like things involving sand bondage and things not explicitly consensual and fully agreed upon). Others want to read just the lemons. So to that effect, I have marked where the lemons begin and end. The first lemon ends with the line ~~firstlemonend~~ so if you search for that you can get to the end (it begins right away) and skip back to the story. The second lemon begins with ~~secondlemonstart~~ and goes literally to the end of the chapter. I don't like to break immersion, but I also know that there are people who want to avoid or seek certain content.
> 
> As always, thanks so much to 93d1c5 for the beta job!

Gaara's mind had ceased all rational thought. Adrenaline and lust surged through him, and his breathing skipped a beat as his sand brought the viper-tongued kunoichi to her knees in front of him. Hot bolts of pure _desire_ lanced to his groin, where his manhood jumped in response.

"Shut up, kunoichi," he snarled. "Or I'll _shut you up_."

Karin glared at him, red eyes like coals on him, defiant even though she fully expected to end up a pulp in a few moments. She took a breath and opened her mouth to launch another volley of insults. "You—,"

She got no further. Gaara's sand surged up around her, surrounding her totally. Before she was fully engulfed, she took one last breath, figuring this was the end and once more kicking herself over the surge of sexual excitement that burned through her. Seriously, she was going to _die here_ , why the fuck was she _turned on_? She knew he was dangerously close to snapping, and everything inside her was pushing on her to shove him past that point.

Beyond conscious thought, Gaara's fingers were rapidly at work on his hakama and fundoshi. They pooled to the ground around his feet just as the surge of sand subsided, dragging her to closer to him. He took a step forward, mouth parted in a slight snarl.

"If you can't shut up, perhaps you should use that mouth for something _useful_ ," he snapped at her. His cock jumped in its flaming nest of hair. She stared at him like he'd grown a second head. Somehow, she was not dead, and _he_ was going to…

"You perverted ba—," she managed, just before he gripped her hair and filled her mouth with him.

It never occurred to her to bite, which was fortunate, because then she really _would_ have ended up dead, just on his reflex action. Part of her still hadn't fully realized this was actually happening. This was surreal. But it was, indeed, happening. The musky scent of his arousal filled her lungs as she breathed. It did nothing to quell her own heat.

"Suck it, bitch," Gaara snapped at her. Chung-Hee was _right_. This _was_ the way to silence a shrew.

Karin sucked, trying not to think of how _wet_ she was, or this disturbing new discovery of how much being dominated by a crazy guy got her hot. She'd sucked cock before, and considered herself pretty good at it. Vaguely, she wondered what the hell she'd just gotten herself into, as she went on to prove she couldn't just suck but deep throat.

Gaara hissed, a sound like steam escaping a punctured boiler. He might not know what he was doing, but she clearly knew what _she_ was doing. This was _totally_ different from his own hands. Those were curling in her hair right now – a part of him noticed how soft it was and how striking the bright cherry red locks looked wrapped around his pale fingers. Then she did something with her throat, making some kind of noise, and he realized that he wasn't going to last more than a few moments with her doing that.

She was a little surprised at how fast he came... but then again he must have been seriously worked up just to do this. His hips thrust involuntarily, grinding against her face, and she heard him groan as he released down her throat. She swallowed out of reflex, which produced a sharp gasp from him.

Gaara stared down at Karin, breathing hard. Now that he'd came, some of his senses came back to him, and he realized that he'd just... _he'd just totally face-fucked Naruto's pet probationer_. Alright, he _really_ wasn't a shining example of sanity and restraint, right now. As he relaxed his grip on her hair, her eyes lifted to meet his. The combination of fury and lust in their red depths shot straight back to his groin.

He looked ... shocked, really, she thought as he withdrew from her mouth. The sands enveloping her quivered and she wondered suddenly if he was into snuff and about to kill her. Gaara's cock was half-mast and rising again. The shocked look in his eyes was swiftly being replaced by a cunning, predatory sharpness. Kami, but he was fucked up. _And so was she_. Her insides burned with desire and she was probably soaking his sand.

He felt like a furnace, suddenly too hot. His hands were fumbled with the buckles of his flak jacket. He could feel her through his sand, shaking. And yes, he could feel her dampness leaking into his sand, and he wasn't so innocent that he didn't know what _that_ might mean. Kankurō had bragged about getting girls so hot they soaked themselves before in his earshot. The Sand shinobi tossed aside his protective armour, even as he manipulated his sand into hands to peel Karin out of _her_ clothes.

"You are one crazy fucker, Gaara," she snapped, glaring right into his eyes. She could feel what the sand was doing as raspy fingers of it slipped under her shirt. He twitched at her words. Her peripheral vision caught his cock jerking when she spoke. Oh yeah, he was a crazy fucker, alright. Quite possibly literally.

"You just—" he started, his words muffled as he pulled off his shirt, "don't know when to stop. Do you?!" His sand moved, and all of a sudden she couldn't see and everything around her was moving. The sand undulated, grabbing at her, removing the last of her clothing. She attempted to thrash, panicking momentarily. Damn bastard. Was he going to kill her now?

He could feel her struggling, and didn't care. He wanted those damn clothes off, and he _always_ got what he wanted. He wanted to feel her naked skin against his own. His blood felt like it was on fire. The sands parted to his will, exposing her scarred, bite mark-covered form to his hungry eyes. He didn't care how bitten up she was. _He just wanted her_. He reached for her.

When she felt warm hands that were not made of sand cup her breasts, Karin realized that not only was she not dead, but she probably wasn't going to die right now, and those fantasies plaguing her with more and more frequency over the last few weeks were about to come true. She gasped as the gritty stuff slid away from her face, taking her glasses with it. The blur of pale skin, smudge of greenish blue eyes and bright red hair that was Gaara's face descended on hers, his mouth closing on hers roughly. His hand slid down her flank and his fingers dug into her sides, she could feel his nails pressing into her skin as he pulled her body against his. She could feel his cock against her belly, pressing hard against her. His chakra was like a nimbus around him, ragged-edged and searingly bright.

Feeling her skin, the heat of her body, did absolutely nothing to calm Gaara at all. He kissed her hard, bruisingly, biting her lips. He could feel her in the sand, trying to move, but whether it was towards him or away from him, he couldn't tell. With his sand, he pulled her legs apart and her arms out, spread eagled, and lowered them both to the floor of the cave. With one hand on her breasts, he used the other to reach for her crotch, and he was shocked at how slippery and wet she was. He explored fumblingly, a finger brushing against something nubbly and suddenly sliding into her depths, and he almost ignited right there at her bitten off moan and shudder.

Karin stopped struggling when his hand went for her. She was so painfully aroused that even the light stroke of his fingers against her clit was enough to flare her blood into liquid fire. She desperately attempted to stifle her own reaction. He released her mouth and leaned back, breathing hard, eyes boring into hers, face fixed into a demonic grin. She felt him adjust, felt the sand holding her tighten and shift, and something _else_ joined his hand brushing her nethers. Both of his hands came up to grip her shoulders as he _thrust_ , suddenly, into her.

She couldn't stifle the cry that came as he filled her, his hardness sliding easily into her soaking wet depths. Her back arched. If her hands had been free she would be digging her nails in his _back_ right now. She heard him growl, a primal sound that only served to intensify the surge of pleasure she felt as he began to move with deep, hard thrusts.

Gaara was losing his mind entirely. Instinct had already taken over; he pounded mindlessly into the moaning kunoichi. Everywhere his body contacted hers felt like it was on fire with pleasure, _especially_ his throbbing cock, embedded deep within her. If he hadn't come once already, he would have lasted mere seconds at the feel of her. His senses seemed insanely heightened, particularly his sense of touch. Encasing himself in sand armour most of the time made his unprotected skin incredibly sensitive. Now, that sensitivity was almost more than he could handle. The fire burning in his lower belly only seemed to get hotter, more intense, as he took her wildly on a bed of his own sand.

Gaara's own involuntary moans joined Karin's as he gripped her. Karin was amazed at how hard he was, and how every movement he made inside her and against her skin just seemed to wind her up even more. Her cries got louder, sharper, as he thrust into her harder and deeper. Every inch of her skin burned with his touch. She was going to peak, soon; oh dear Kami, this crazy asshole was going to make _come_ like she'd never come before! She couldn't hold back her vocal cords.

Karin's cries turned into screams, cutting through Gaara's mindless thrusting and dragging his consciousness right back into his head. What the fuck was going on? Gaara had caused plenty of screams before in his life, but those had been of pain, fear, even abject terror. _This_ was totally different. Karin's screams penetrated straight to his _core_ , and he could only gasp in shocked pleasure as she began to shake and arch her back in his sand, insides convulsing around his cock.

" _Kami!_ " he breathed, astounded. Momentum kept him moving for a few thrusts, then his arms and legs seemed to lose all strength for a moment as his whole body was flooded with intense pleasure. The world went white as he came, vision blanking, unaware of his own hoarse scream. Karin's orgasm, which had started to subside, intensified once more as she felt him pulse inside her. Between the sudden, intense flare of his chakra and the incredible pleasure, she _almost_ blacked out.

He collapsed on top of her, momentarily senseless. They were both breathing hard, hearts pounding. While Gaara tried to recover the shreds of his sanity, Karin attempted to parse out what had just happened. She was somehow still _alive_ , despite mashing Gaara's buttons as hard as she possibly could. She apparently _really_ got off on danger and being dominated. And, when Gaara went crazy he turned into the greatest fuck she'd ever had. Or at least, turned her on so much that it seemed that way. That had been incredible.

Gaara wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but his murderous pre-pubescent self could never have imagined the existence-affirming effect of having a kunoichi screaming underneath him. He felt lightheaded and confused. He hadn't lost control like that since he'd been a homicidal kid. Only… the feel of her heart pounding against his own chest told him he hadn't killed her. Those were definitely not the screams of the _dying_. No, Gaara had lost control and fucked Konoha's annoying little bitch of a probationer into screaming orgasm on the sand-covered floor of a cave in the middle of nowhere.

Oh Kami, he hadn't just added _rape_ to his list of crimes against humanity, had he? He hadn't exactly _asked_ her consent. His stomach twisted at the thought. Almost involuntarily, he leaned back, his sand suddenly releasing her limbs, and stared into her face, unconsciously searching for something he couldn't understand. What now?

All she could make out without her glasses was the pale green-blue smear of his eyes boring into hers. Karin blinked at him in confusion. Involuntarily, her freed hands went to his hips. His chakra – that beacon which she had steadily become unable to shut out even without Kagura Shingan active – had spiked in a strange way, full of something almost like fear. For once in her life, she had nothing to say. She blinked at him, trying to recover her breath.

**~~Firstlemonend~~**

Tentatively, he disengaged, pulling away from her. Oh Kami, _what had he just done_? He sat back, retreating to the opposite side of the cave from her, sitting against the stone wall, sand flowing to cushion him. He closed his eyes.

Karin groped gingerly for her glasses, found them, and put them on her face, brushing away sand before she opened her eyes again. Slowly, she sat up. She ached between her legs – it had been more than a year since she last had sex and Gaara had not exactly been gentle or restrained. She didn't mind, not when it felt _that_ good – Karin had always had a preference for rough play. She had fantasized about what Gaara would be like in bed, and the reality turned out to be as crazy and intense as he is with everything else. Oh holy shit… What do you do after something like that? She settled on pragmatism.

Shame burned through him, and he sat, avoiding looking at her as she rose quietly, picking her clothes and gear out of his sand, shaking off the grains. She slipped on her underwear, and her mesh shirt. Her sudden hand signs caught his attention as she did an unfamiliar jutsu. "What's that?" he asked, his voice almost not working.

"Contraception," she said, simply. He turned even paler than before, and then flushed, still avoiding her gaze. She sat down, opposite from him, and looked at him, while he did his best to avoid her eyes.

He was flawless, she noted. All of his skin was pale, like he never saw the sun even though he lived in the desert, even though he'd been riding alongside her in the great outdoors for the last month. That was due to his sand armour, she figured. There wasn't a scar on him anywhere, in contrast to her own body which was a canvas of bite marks and old battle scars. Underneath, wiry muscles rippled. He was well built and even more attractive without clothes on. And yeah, he was a satisfying size – the ache between her legs attested to that. His messy hair hung over his brows and framed his face, an intensely coloured contrast to his pale skin. The stamp of Shukaku – the dark rims around his pale eyes – only served to give him an attractive exoticism. Even the kanji on his forehead was interesting. And _that chakra_ , oh dear Kami… it was tinged with chaotic emotion and turmoil, but it still blazed, bright and fierce and entirely alluring to her. Remembering the feel of it washing over and through her as he came made her shudder.

The lantern, which had been steadily fading as the charge ran out, chose that moment to go out. Neither of them moved for a long moment. Then Gaara soundlessly rose, grabbed his rain poncho, slipped on his open-toed sandal boots and silently exited the cave, deftly avoiding the wires. Karin watched him go, his chakra a bonfire in her vision. He didn't go far, just outside into the rain near the entrance of the cave, where he apparently sat down and thought about something. In the dimness of the dying daylight, she dug around in her pack, finding a ration bar and eating it. Then she unrolled her bedroll and curled up inside it. His sand was still all over the cave floor – he'd made zero effort to pick up any of it and put it back into his gourd.

Ok, so he was a basket case. That was hardly surprising, it was an occupational hazard for shinobi. She was pretty sure she was just as fucked up. And yeah, she could admit to herself that she had it for crazy fuckers with big chakra. Shiranui Genma had been a zero-expectations one-off, a fling; more out of loneliness and his charm rather than any deep burning attraction. Gaara, though… Apparently, she had a _thing_ for heart-pounding, mortal danger. That had been the most intense sex of her life.

She'd won. She'd goaded him and prodded him until he lost it, and she had the ache between the legs to prove it. If she needed proof that she could affect him, there it was. Since that incident in the forest, she had practically seethed with lust for him whenever he pissed her off. Well, she'd found out. Now what?

The answer eluded her, even as she drifted off to sleep.

Outside, sitting on a rock in the pouring rain in the fading light, naked under his leaky poncho, head bare to the rain, Gaara was lost in thought. He hadn't lost control like that since he had been a murderous little boy struggling to keep Shukaku from overwhelming his psyche. He curled on the rock, with his knees up by his face and his arms around his knees, and rested his forehead on the damp poncho, eyes closing. The rain cooled him, running through his hair, dripping on the heated skin not covered by the poncho. The movement of the air around him pushed puffs of scent from his own body to his nose, laden with the scent of her arousal mixed with his. He almost groaned. Even after _that_ , he still wanted her; he wanted to take her again and again until they both passed out from exhaustion.

This was _not_ how he imagined losing his virginity.

Not that he had given the matter much thought before this unexpected 'trip' with Karin. He'd been so caught up with the duties of running a shinobi village that he hadn't had time for that kind of thing. It's not like he had no idea sex existed or anything like that – he was still a young man. He had noted the existence of attractive women and masturbated on a fairly regular basis. But he'd always been acutely suspicious of the women who had tried to get him to notice them. He had come to power very young, and the circumstances of his life weren't exactly conducive to any kind of normal relationship with another person. He was as yet unmarried, Suna had no heir, and the councillors were constantly pushing for him to get a good wife, preferably one with a kekkei genkai, and make babies – which had him automatically pushing back against anyone who seemed to be too overtly pursuing that goal with him. He figured he'd done his duty pretty well for Suna, in everything but that, and he wanted _that_ choice to be his own.

He briefly wondered if Karin had planned this somehow, and then dismissed the idea as ridiculous. Absolutely none of this had been planned, absolutely none of her actions had been artificial in any way. No one could have anticipated this.

She hadn't said no, to any of it. Even after he had forced her to blow him, she was still ready to crack another insult and fire him up even more. She hadn't said _yes,_ either. He remembered the look in her eyes – fear mixed with something _else_. Fear, he knew in all its sounds and scents and gazes. He'd been the object of other people's fear throughout his life. Whatever _that_ look was, it was the same thing that had been in her eyes that night in the forest, before they had gotten interrupted. There had been no look of horror or dismay on her face after he had finished in the cave. In fact, she had looked, well, almost _astounded_. Stunned.

That night in the forest, she had undone as many buckles on his flak jacket as he had gotten to on hers, he recalled. And those had definitely not been screams of _fear_. He was well acquainted with how _those_ sounded… not so much these. Thinking about them send a shiver down his spine, and a jolt to his crotch. He muttered a quiet curse.

What did this mean? What did this change? What in all the hells was he going to do _now_? He was still stuck with her until he got to Konoha.

Inside the cave, he could feel her moving around through the sand he had neglected to call back into the gourd. He felt her drag the bedroll across the sand, felt her crawl into it, felt the heat from her body through the bedroll, and felt it when her breathing evened out into the rhythm of sleep.

Had this meant nothing to her? The casual way she had performed the contraception jutsu, the way she had just looked at him in silence, saying nothing – she seemed so collected. But no, he remembered how she had shaken underneath him. Once again, the memory of that scream tore through his core. She _wasn't_ unaffected, simply… pragmatic. Like any good kunoichi should be.

He ran one hand through his rain-soaked hair. Kami, he was so fucked up.

Finally, Gaara realized that he had cooled down perhaps a bit more than he should have and should probably get back into the cave and get in his bedroll before he caught hypothermia. Karin had the right idea – sleep it off and deal with it tomorrow… if ever.

He got up, and went back into the cave. He managed to find his bedroll in the darkness, and curled up in it, reinforcing the warmth with a cover of his own sand. At some point, he even fell asleep.

Karin woke up the next morning to find the cave still covered in sand, and Gaara, wrapped up in even more of the sand, sleeping in his own bedroll across the cave from her. She was slightly relieved. She didn't think he'd gone farther than the entrance last night, but there was no knowing what he did after she fell asleep. He hadn't awoken her, coming back into the cave.

She stirred, and the ache between her legs reminded her sharply of what had gone on the night previously. Damn, they had a lot of _walking_ ahead of them. Today was going to suck. The cause of the ache felt her movement through his sand and came to alertness, eyes flying open. He shifted in his bedroll, getting ready to act – and then realized it was just Karin. And then he remembered what had he had done to spread his sand all over the cave. He froze, eyeing her warily.

"Morning," she said, rising from her bedroll and cranking the lantern awake before dressing quickly and riffling through her pack for a ration bar. She tore it open with her teeth and began eating.

Gaara said nothing, just stared at her while she dressed, before the rumbling of his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything the night before. He shifted, getting out of his bedroll, realizing that he had just crawled into his bedroll naked before falling asleep. She was now fully dressed. He wasn't. He tried to ignore Karin watching him through the corner of her eyes as he got dressed. Wordlessly, he followed her example and devoured a ration, pretending she wasn't there.

Some people got weird after sex, Karin knew. It seemed Gaara was one of them. But then he was pretty weird in general. With what she knew about his life, he had a good reason for it.

She finished her ration and took a swig from her canteen, as he did the same. Then he stood up, gave a brief stretch and a roll of his shoulders until he heard and felt the satisfying crack of a kink releasing, and began pulling his sand into his gourd as he slung the harness on. Karin watched, eyes lowered, as the grains hissed back into their home.

The sand still smelled bloody and still had his familiar chakra soaking it, but now it came with traces of Karin's scent – the perfume that never seemed to leave her, her sweat, and the musk of her juices. He smelled himself in there too. Smelling her in his sand was enough to catch him off guard. His face heated.

Karin packed and checked her kit, attempting to ignore Gaara since he was trying so hard to ignore her. Nevertheless, she caught his flush out of the corners of her eyes. Yeah, she decided. Gaara was one of the ones who got weird.

"Let's get going," he said, as they finished packing up their gear. It was the only thing he said all day. Her greeting as he woke was the only thing _she_ said all day. Neither shinobi felt much like discussion. It had stopped raining, but the ground was still slippery and treacherous, and it was slow going.

After a day of attempting to ignore each other while stifling stabs of desire, they found a sheltering ledge and made camp for the night. As they ate their rations in silence, Gaara mused that if _this_ was the way to make Karin shut up, he should have fucked her far sooner. He recalled the funny way she had moved all day, as though walking caused discomfort. His face heated, and he felt another jolt of pure want.

She had nothing to say. She had no clue what to say. What did one even say, after _that_? All day she had been acutely aware of his presence, and his silence. And the sudden blushes that seemed to take over him every now and then. Those were the only sign he gave that anything had actually happened – that and the periodic sudden surges of his chakra all day long.

Crazy fucker that _she_ was, she still wanted him, too. All day long, flashes of the night before kept returning to her mind. The feel of his sand on her skin. The wild look in his face when he finally snapped. The way he had felt inside her. The explosion of his chakra when he came. Her own arousal at his dominance. All of it. It was unnerving, how much he turned her on.

And it was probably going to be _at least_ a week before they got back to Konoha, oh Kami. She wasn't sure how she was going to survive this without going crazy. Crazier.

They both slept fitfully, dreaming of each other.

* * *

The next day at noon, they consulted their map. Travel had been slow, far slower than either had anticipated. The terrain was rough, and with the on and off rain it was even more dangerous and slow going than before. The map showed a town at the half-way point, a small point called Dolseong Oncheon, written in the language that only Gaara could read. There was something about the name that seemed like it should be significant to Gaara, but he couldn't place it just then.

"How did we miss a town?" Gaara asked, rhetorically, then realized it might be because they hadn't even reached it yet.

Karin sighed. She slipped fully into Kagura Shingan, stretching out her chakra senses. There was a town-sized concentration of humans, but it was about 15 km away, and that gave no indication how far the _actual_ distance was on these twisty, up and down mountain roads.

"It's 15 clicks further, if we flew…" she said, chagrined. This was the first time they'd spoken to each other since the other morning.

Gaara muttered a curse. "We'd better push if we want to be there before they close the inn down for the night."

She nodded. She wanted a bath, a hot meal, and a chance to clean her clothes, and she would _kill_ for a night in a real bed. Through mutual agreement, they travelled shinobi-style, heedless of the chakra expenditure. Their effort paid off; they made it into town just as the sun was starting to set. It wasn't a large town, but the buildings were in good repair and there were a number of shops – now closed for the night. The mist in the air had a mineral tang. Everything was brightly painted and actually kind of scenic. The inn was a lot larger than either of them expected for a little middle-of-nowhere mountain town.

Gaara pushed open the door and they walked in, surprised to find a well-appointed inn that only held a handful of people. The innkeeper, who was tending the bar, spotted them and approached. Five countries shinobi came here infrequently, but it was close enough to the border that he knew what the symbol on the man's forehead protector meant. The money of these 'shinobi' was always good. Though why they were coming in the _rainy season_ , he had no clue.

"Greetings, travellers," he said. "Welcome to Stonecastle Hot springs. Have you come to take in the waters? It's the off-season, we don't get many travellers this time of year."

"Oncheon?" Karin repeated the unfamiliar word, as Gaara's face lit up with an avid grin as he finally placed the word.

"Onsen," Gaara supplied the Five Countries word for it, and Karin's grin matched his.

That explained the town, and the size of the inn. This place must be a big destination during the dry season.

"When does the oncheon close?" Gaara asked.

"Not for another several hours, it's open late, even in the rainy season. The rates are good now, too, because it's mostly kept open for the locals," the innkeeper replied. The grins on the shinobi's faces widened. Their eyes slid over to each other and met, mutual accord flowing between them. Neither had really forgotten what had happened two nights ago, but … hot springs…

"We'll need two rooms for the night. And directions to the oncheon," Gaara stated.

The rooms were cheap, for such a nice inn, thanks to the rainy season. The inn gave them adjoining rooms, sharing a door. They paid the upfront and were shown to their rooms, where they dropped off their packs. Then, still grinning, they walked to the oncheon together.

The attendant took their money, eyeing Gaara's gourd of sand curiously, and directed them to the male and female baths.

In the men's pool, Gaara floated on his back in the water, eyes closed. His gourd and towel were resting nearby. The hot spring was deserted except for him. He had _thought_ that word on the map looked familiar. What a lovely surprise. It was almost worth the delay… almost. Not even Karin could ruin his mood right now.

Undressed, and showered, Karin placed her towel by the side of the natural pool and sank gratefully into the water, indulging in the relaxation. Ok, so it had taken days longer than they expected to get _halfway_ to Beullu Sawon, but… there was an _onsen_. Oh dear Kami. The aches from nights of sleeping on the ground faded away in the steamy water. It was just her here, she didn't think she'd ever had an onsen entirely to herself. It was luxurious. The water was so soothing. If she didn't have to hurry back to Konoha, she would have liked to stay here a few days.

Karin soaked for a good half an hour, reveling in the hot mineral water. Then she decided she was too hungry to wait around, and got out of the pool. She could see and feel Gaara's relaxed chakra in the men's pool. Well, she would go eat, and get to bed. If he wanted to linger, so what. He never seemed to need much sleep anyway, and would probably want to get going early. She toweled off and dressed, strapping all her weapons in place after retrieving them from the lock box. Then she headed back to the inn.

It was still fairly empty, and she was both hungry and tired. She didn't feel like waiting for Gaara. Karin ordered a meal with her limited language, and on a whim, a drink. The food was good; she'd managed to ask for something almost like okonomiyaki, which the innkeeper called 'jeon'. It was served with some kind of rice wine, which she enjoyed immensely. After days of pressed grain rations, she was starving for a real hot meal. She ordered another pancake and another flask of the wine. And then another flask. She was feeling good from the combination of her onsen soak, the food, and the rice wine.

She rose, a little unsteadily, and realized the wine was stronger than she had initially thought. No matter. She settled her bill and wandered to her room, stripping off her gear and donning the robe supplied by the inn. She felt warm and good. A little too warm and good. Her thoughts returned suddenly to that night, the blaze of Gaara's chakra, his wild lust. She bit down a moan and reached for herself. That fucking hot and cold bastard… for two days she could feel his chakra blazing near her, licking against her like flames. She wanted him so badly, and he fucking ignored her like she didn't _exist_ most of the time.

* * *

Gaara awoke with a shock, realizing suddenly that he had drifted to sleep in the hot springs. It was a miracle he hadn't drowned himself, but fortunately it had happened in one of the body-shaped sitting places and not while he was floating. He had no idea he was _that_ tired, but long travel takes its toll on everyone eventually. And they had pushed _hard_ to arrive at this onsen town.

He looked up at the dark sky, sighed, and pulled himself out of the water, retrieving his sand and towel. He dried himself and put his gear and clothes back on, donning the gourd once more.

"You were in there a while," the attendant commented as he exited.

"Fell asleep," Gaara muttered, sheepishly.

"Oh, make sure to drink some water, then," the attendant recommended. Gaara nodded absently and returned to the inn. He didn't see any sign of Karin.

"Have you seen my traveling companion?" he asked the innkeeper once he arrived in the common room.

"The redheaded girl? She went up to the rooms just a minute ago," the innkeeper replied. "Would you like to order some food?"

His stomach growled at the thought. "Yes," he replied, and selected something grilled from the menu. He asked for water to drink, and the innkeeper arched his eyebrow. Gaara ignored him and found a seat.

He drank the water and ate like a ravenous wolf, then got another water and drank it. After a moment's thought, he ordered a second plate of food, unconsciously mimicking the actions of Karin earlier. Once he finished that off, he went up to the room. He entered his suite and stripped off his clothes, donning the robe the inn provided, again unconsciously mimicking Karin's actions. But instead of relaxing on the bed, he considered that he had better check on Karin.

He approached the shared door and was about the knock when he heard something that sounded suspiciously like a moan. He froze, listening intently. There it was again! His insides seemed to ice up and then burn. Had she managed to find and seduce some local _already_? He lost all reason. Sand surged at his call, sliding into the lock and effortlessly picking it. He clicked open the door… and stopped in shock when he spotted Karin with her legs spread and her fingers in her own cake.

Karin heard the door open. Her head shot up, and she saw Gaara staring at her. 'Erk!' she said, legs slapping shut and hands going instantly to her sides. "Gaara! What the _fuck_ are you doing?" she demanded in a slurred voice, clambering out of bed and stalking angrily towards him, fists balling.

Gaara blinked. The scent of alcohol, her fragrance, and… musk… hit him as she approached. He wrinkled his brows. "Are you _drunk_?" He ignored her demands and inserted his own.

She stopped, glaring at him. "No!" She stumbled a bit trying to keep from weaving.

"You're drunk, kunoichi," he said, coldly.

"M' not. The wine lied to me," she insisted, glaring at him blearily.

He blinked. "What?" His tone was sheer puzzlement.

"What are you doing in my room?"

"I wanted to check on you," he blurted, defensively. "I heard…" He stopped. He could hardly tell her that he heard her moan and thought she was fucking some local.

"You heard what?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. The robe wasn't closed all the way. Tantalizing bits of skin were visible here and there. Gaara's mouth went dry. His heart pounded.

He said nothing. Karin remembered his accusations from two nights ago, and figured it out anyway; he was busting in to paste imaginary lovers.

"You listened in on me and decided to force the door open and 'protect my honour', huh?" she snapped, drawing out the part about protecting her honour as sarcastically as she could. "You're a piece of work, Gaara."

The sudden flush of his skin told her she'd scored a hit. Gaara felt the flashfire surge of his blood as both his rage and lust flared fully awake. How could she dare? His mouth opened, though the retort had not yet fully formed in his brain.

She interrupted whatever he had been about to say. "You hot and cold, arrogant, crazy fucker bastard," she snarled, cheeks burning, stomping forward and closing the distance between them. Automatically, her hands came up and fisted around his collar. She jerked him down towards her.

What was she doing? Oh Kami, had she lost her mind? Karin was aware that she was perhaps more intoxicated than she thought. Here he was, all flashing eyes and sparking chakra, and she was burning up, the curl of fire in her belly surging with every breath. She seized him in a kiss of anger and lust, desperate to taste him, feel that chakra of his flare against her, penetrate her skin.

Gaara was too confused and keyed up to resist as her mouth closed on his. His sand flew everywhere as his chakra spiked. His hands moved seemingly of their own volition, parting the robe and slipping under her arms, fingers digging into her back as he stumbled closer to her. He kissed her back fiercely, angrily, hungrily. The sand hissed around them – he wasn't consciously directing it, it just kind of moved on its own in response to his tumultuous state of mind. The intensity of his own surging _need_ made him feel dizzy. He was dimly aware that he was shaking.

He'd interrupted her earlier, leaving her unsatisfied and aching. Now, Karin felt like she was burning up. She wanted him, wanted to feel his thickness inside her again. His chakra was pushing on her, his sand was hissing around her, coils of it brushing against her legs, sliding under the robe, rasping against the skin of her back. Her hands were already in his robe, holding on to him for dear life. He was naked beneath the robe. She pulled him closer even as he did the same, their chests meeting, skin touching. She could feel the heat of his member against her skin.

**~~Secondlemonbegin~~**

Her legs felt like jelly as she stumbled backwards. Gaara, too, felt like he was losing the strength to stand upright. The sand rose automatically to break their fall, cushioning and guiding them to the floor. Once again, he was on top of her. He could feel her legs moving, opening, her arms sliding up his sides to his back. He slipped a hand between them, reaching for her. Oh fuck, she was so wet. He fingered her, feeling that firm nub. The sounds of her ragged moans penetrated his ears. Her reaction gave him pause. What was _that_? How… _interesting_ …

Karin arched beneath his touch, moaning out as his fingers found her clitoris. He paused for half a second, and then stroked it again. She writhed under his touch. Emboldened, he focused on that little bump, slick fingers brushing against it, part of him stunned at her response, the rest of him pushing for more.

She writhed as her tension built, the release he had previously interrupted now threatening to spill over at his touch. Her eyes fluttered closed, her back arched, and she _came_ , hard, her breaths coming in ragged cries. Gaara stared at her. Her chest and face were flushed, and her whole body was jerking underneath him. He didn't understand. Did she just… had he just…? The intensity of the surge of lust that overtook him then forced a strangled 'nnng!' out of him.

He found himself moving, automatically, positioning himself between her legs. Her scent, the feel of her skin, the heat of her body, everything intoxicated him. His cock brushed up against her, and he could feel the hot, slick moisture that his hand had so recently explored. Suddenly, he realized he was losing control again. He froze, conflicted.

Her body craved more of him so badly. When he began to shut down, she felt it immediately. Confused and angry, she snarled at him. "Why are you _stopping_?! _Fucking take me,_ gods damn you!" He blinked, and met her eyes uncomprehendingly. She gave a snarl of inarticulate fury and raging desire, and wrapped her legs around his, pulling her hips up to bring him inside her. He made a creaky, strangled sound. His eyes fixed on hers, shimmering with the intensity of his rekindled lust, and she saw his mouth curl into that insane, open-mouthed grin from two nights previous. He grabbed her firmly, and pushed hard into her.

The dam inside him broke, all self control fled, and he took her with wild abandon. She came again within minutes, fingers digging into his back, screaming. He kept going, and going, and then she was coming again. And again. And again. His own ragged gasps morphed into full-throated almost-screams of his own. He wasn't holding anything back; he wasn't capable of any kind of restraint. His chakra roared and spiked suddenly, his voice matching it, as he came. He almost blacked out. It almost knocked _her_ out. He made strange, high pitched, strangled sound, and collapsed on top of her, panting.

They both struggled to catch their breath. He glanced at her, seeing a kind of shocked amazement in her eyes that matched his own. He reached for her face, brushing the glasses off, and then kissed her, his eyes closing. Karin kissed him back, surprised at the almost tender way he explored her mouth. For long moments they did nothing but kiss, as she responded to his touch. The little sounds she made as he kissed her burned all the way to his insides. Very shortly after he had begun, he found he was wanting… more…

She felt him shift, and felt the hard thickness of him inside her still, and her eyes flew open. His stamina in battle was legendary, but did that translate into the bedroom? "What, already?" she gasped, as his eyes opened and locked with hers, and he began to move within her.

His mouth opened in a hint of that crazy grin and he gave a ragged chuckle. "I'm going to fuck you until you can't even _walk_ ," he rasped, thoroughly enjoying the widening of her cherry red eyes at his declaration. They proceeded to live out his fantasies of screwing her all night long, until they both collapsed from sheer exhaustion sometime before dawn, still on the floor in his sand. They were both covered in it, grains of sand clinging to their sweaty, sticky bodies. Before he lost consciousness, Gaara felt complete, alive, like he had never felt before. Even killing had never given him the thrill of existing that he'd felt tonight.


	11. Chapter 10 - R&R and Roll in the ... Dirt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, more lemons, an intense little number. Look for ~~lemononestart~~ and ~~lemononeend~~ for navigational markers.
> 
> Glad to see new people enjoying this story, proof that a regular posting schedule will keep a story visible long enough for people to 'oh what the heck, I'll read it' click. And get hooked, in some cases. I love sharing my writing.
> 
> Thanks, you guys - I write for myself mainly, but I love to see your reactions to what I've created. All of my love to you!

" _Sesang-e!_ "

The maid's exclamation, as she opened the door to the room and saw _sand_ everywhere, woke Gaara suddenly. His head shot up, looking towards the source of the noise. The poor maid eyed him with dismay and then shut the door, backing away.

What in the hells had happened? Where was he? Why was there so much daylight? What was so warm against his skin… he looked down, realized he had been sprawled halfway on top of Karin, who was still insensate, and remembered what had happened the night before. He sank back down in the sand, draped his arm across her possessively, and tried to process what had gone on. Mentally, he scratched '… _rape?_ ' off his list of crimes against humanity. That had been _entirely_ mutual. He never thought he'd ever hear a woman screaming for him to take her like she had last night… and then proceeding to take _him_.

It seemed their arguments had the exact same effect on her that they had on him. He re-analyzed the events from the cave and came to the conclusion that she had been goading him into just that response. His day-to-day illusion of control, so hard-won, hadn't been able to withstand her jabs, and had cracked, with spectacular consequences. Here he was, a second time, tangled up in her arms and spent. And he realized he didn't want to stop doing this. Karin infuriated him, incensed him, fired his blood and turned him into a raging ball of lust. She drove him to the point of insanity, and then she enveloped his response, taking all of him, even as he took her. He remembered the arch of her back, the sound of her voice as she released, now so intimately familiar to him, and realized that she gave back, too.

He wanted her, all to himself, forever. If she never even _looked_ at another man again in her life, he would be all too thrilled.

Underneath him, Karin stirred, consciousness returning. Something warm and heavy was pinning her down. Her eyes fluttered open and she turned her head, Gaara's blurry face swimming before her. She shifted her legs, and immediately regretted it. Kami, she was sore. She felt like she'd slept on the _floor_. As she groped around for her glasses in the sand, she realized she _had_ slept on the floor. So much for a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed. But… oh Kami… last night…

"What time is it?" she asked.

Gaara's eyes flicked to the clock on the nightstand by the unused bed. It said 10:05. "Just after 10," he replied. He made no move to release her underneath him. He made no move to, well, move, at all.

So much for getting an early start, too…

She groaned.

Now that she was awake, he could feel his blood stirring, his heart beating faster. His hands roamed over her, and he felt the sand coating them both and deftly pulled all the grains away. His knee went between her legs, and he kissed her. She hissed suddenly.

"Gaara, stop," she moaned, as his knee brushed against her. He froze, eyes meeting hers. She turned white and red in turns.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"I _can't_ ," she said, and he blinked at her. "You kept your bloody _promise_ , alright? I'm not even sure I can _walk_ today." She avoided his gaze. Seriously, how in all the hells could he still want _more_?

He flushed, remembering his hoarse declaration of the previous night, and struggled to regain control of himself. "You're serious, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "Oh, fuck."

He wasn't sure what to say. What did one say to that? 'Sorry I fucked you legless?' Especially since he _wasn't_ sorry… So he said nothing. Instead, he rose, gently picking her up as he pulled every last stray bit of sand back into his gourd. She shifted in his arms, making a confused noise, and then he placed her on the bed.

"Stay here," he said. "We're not going anywhere today. I'm going to pay for another night."

She struggled to sit up, watching him as he went back into his room, threw the hotel robe off, and donned his clothes. He grabbed the rest of his stuff, including his gourd, and put them in _her_ room. Then he turned around and went back into his suite, closing the adjacent door.

Her head hurt from the alcohol, she was stiff from sleeping on the floor, and her crotch throbbed from last night's excesses. She needed the bathroom, desperately. Gingerly, she slid off the bed, slightly unsteady on her feet, and made her way to the adjoined bathroom. Urinating was painful. She brushed her teeth, and drank a glass of water to ease the headache. She took a quick shower, washing off the sweat and other fluids, letting the hot water soothe her. She wrapped a towel around her freshly washed hair, pulled the robe back on, sniffed at the sudden puff of sex-soaked scent from it, and dug in her pack for the little spritzer of fragrance she always kept on her. A few spritzes later and she felt better. She opened the door to the room to air it out. It still smelled like an orgy in the room. Then she flopped back down on the bed.

Gaara was a damned confusing man. She remembered how he'd been after taking her in the cave, and then compared it to the Gaara of last night and came to the conclusion that he was one fucked up critter. She remembered how he'd hesitated last night before she pushed the issue. And then afterwards, there was absolutely no such restraint or hesitation. She wondered if he would keep doing this hot and cold shit or if he'd make up his mind. She'd made _her_ mind up; she wanted him – she wanted his intensity, his fiery passion, his incredible chakra, his touch, his body… At least, until she got home to Konoha and they either executed her or locked her away for life, she wanted every bit of him she could get.

Kami, she hadn't been so stupid over a man since Sasuke.

While she was showering, Gaara made sure 'his' room was ready for checkout. He saw no reason to pay for two rooms, at all, after last night. He didn't plan on sleeping _alone_ again until after he delivered her to Konoha. Although… he'd probably have to let her rest tonight. He was somewhat relieved to discover that he _could_ stop when she asked him to.

He found his way down to the common room, where the panicked maid was trying to tell the innkeeper about the sand disaster upstairs. The innkeeper spotted the red-haired shinobi man on the stairs and silently wished he'd had the foresight to ask for a security deposit. Gaara approached, catching the maid's words.

"There's no sand," he interrupted. "It's all gone, don't worry. Every last grain. Also, we need her room for another night."

The maid gaped at him. "I'll need a deposit for that," the innkeeper said. Gaara shrugged. The innkeeper licked his lips and named an enormous sum. Gaara had enough to cover that… barely. It was probably enough to cover every last piece of furniture, fitting, and decoration in those rooms, and then some. But Gaara was pretty sure he'd be getting it back tomorrow morning. He paid up, and headed back to the room he now shared with Karin. He needed a shower.

He opened the door to the suite to the scent of her perfume, the slight breeze through the open window, and the sight of Karin asleep on the bed. Once again, he unknowingly echoed her own actions – urinating, brushing his teeth, drinking some water, and taking a quick shower. Then he shrugged on the second set of robes and walked over to the bed where Karin was sleeping. For a long moment, he studied her sleeping form, her head still covered by that absurd towel turban, and wondered if he should climb into bed or not. What the heck, he decided, getting on the bed and wrapping an arm around her.

In her sleep, she made a small 'hmm' sound and curled, cuddling up to him. He blinked, careful not to move. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

Karin awoke, some time later, to the discovery that she was being spooned by Gaara. She shifted, trying to look behind her body at him.

'What?" he murmured, apparently still sleeping. His arm around her tightened. Then he blinked, opening his eyes, making a funny groaning sound as he came to alertness. Their eyes met. "What time is it?" he asked. She turned her head and looked at the clock.

"2 pm," she answered.

"Shit," he said, sitting on the bed beside her. "I should go get us some supplies before the stores all close. Um…" He would have to ask her for money. How embarrassing. "The innkeeper asked for a security deposit on the room, it took up all I had…"

She sighed, sat up, reaching up to scratch her head and dislodged the towel turban, which fell to the bed and fell apart. She blinked. "Sec," she muttered. She got off the bed, slowly, creakily, and reached for her pack. She dug out her purse, fishing around for bills and thrusting a handful at him. "Find something that doesn't taste like total ass, if you can; I'm going to the onsen," she said.

He accepted the bills, wordlessly. Then he spoke. "I'm planning to be back at the inn for about 4:30, if… you want to eat with me…" he trailed off.

"Sounds good," she said. It would give her at least an hour in the onsen. She was hungry now, of course, but it could wait. She started to dress, wincing as she pulled on her underwear and shorts. Gaara's chakra jittered as she dressed. She kind of thought if she hadn't made it clear she was _totally not able right now_ , he would have been on her, by the feel of his chakra. The thought made her flush and she was glad she was facing away from him.

He got off the bed, stashed the money, and started donning his clothes, attempting to squelch the shots of lust that ran through him with her every casual move. Karin left the room, heading for the oncheon.

Gaara left for the market, automatically noting the people around him and potential threats as he passed. As he left the inn, he realized that he felt… really good. Better than he'd felt in a long time, actually. Relaxed. He recalled Kankurō telling him once or twice to get laid and loosen up. Is this what his brother meant? He felt _amazingly_ good. He hadn't felt like this after the cave… but then again after the cave he was half-terrified that he'd raped her and completely confused by his own actions. This was totally different. She hadn't left any doubt in his mind that she wanted him. Nor did he have any doubt that he wanted her… again, and again, and again… if she'd been up to it, he would never have let her out of bed.

None of his siblings or few friends could have anticipated exactly how Gaara would react to sex, and even Gaara himself had never even considered it. Gaara's sexuality, once awoken, burned with a _vengeance_.

He found the shopping district – larger than a town this size should usually have, but considering it was an onsen town, not unexpected. Most of the stores were closed for the rainy season, but there was a chandlery open. Half an hour later, he had bargained a good price for rations, replaced his supplies as needed, and replaced that damned leaky, worthless poncho. A brief conversation with the chandler had informed him, much to his chagrin, that while the high road from Danpung City to Beullu Sawon was 50 km _shorter_ , the trip typically took several days longer than the lowland road in the _dry_ season. In the _wet_ season, almost no one took the high road that passed through Dolseon Oncheon. Gaara was the only non-local the man had served in two weeks. Gaara remembered how he had been so impatient to get the shortest route, that he hadn't let the mapseller in Danpung explain the _best_ route.

This route meant several more days with Karin. That didn't seem like such a _bad_ thing, anymore. He turned back to the shopkeeper, smirk forming. "Do you have any two-person tents?"

A little while later, he deposited the goods in the inn room and noted that there was still time for a soak in the hot springs before he ate with Karin.

Once more, Karin soaked in the waters of the hot spring, feeling the aches flow away in the hot water. She sighed, eyelids fluttering with pleasure.

Most of the time, she had to actively use her Kagura Shingan. However, with certain people, she developed an awareness of their chakra that stuck around even when she wasn't trying to use her kekkei genkai. Naruto was one of those people – she could tell where he was from anywhere in Konoha with a moment's thought. Her friends – Sakura and Ino and Hinata – were usually easy to sense. Sometime since that disastrous day on the mountainside, nearly five weeks and half an empire away, Gaara had become another.

So when he entered the onsen, she knew about it. And when he got out of the water, she also knew about it, and decided her skin had wrinkled enough and got out herself. She emerged from the ladies' change room just as he emerged from the men's. "I felt your chakra," she said, at when he spotted her and gave her a questioning glance.

He nodded. "I'm starving," he said. "Let's go eat."

So was she. She nodded. They ate in the common room, where more locals were slowly filtering in for booze and food. Karin enjoyed the okonomiyaki-like dish again – three of them, while Gaara ate a whole 4-person hotpot worth of spicy pork intestine soup on his own. Both of the shinobi were very hungry, considering neither of them had eaten anything at all that day. They didn't speak until they were done. Both drank only tea; Gaara didn't even consider alcohol, and after last night, Karin decided it was probably wiser to stick with tea.

They went up to their rooms… well, _room_ , as Gaara followed Karin into hers. She looked at him, confused.

"We only need one room," he said, noting her questioning glance. Then he grinned, a ghost of that insane expression he had when he lost control. "Don't worry, I'll let you heal."

She flushed, looking away, and he smirked, feeling perverse.

Well, that made his intentions clear, she supposed. And he was still an imperious, arrogant asshole. Though, the feel of his chest against her back, and his arms around her, as they lay in bed, was certainly comfortable enough.

Gaara was thinking. She could sense his presence in the onsen, she'd indicated. What were the limits of her ability? It was certainly useful. He had to admit, they fought very well in tandem – with her sensing abilities and his ability to obliterate almost anything that got in his way. She was damn useful to have around. He was aware that what he wanted to ask was somewhat of a taboo amongst shinobi – unless they volunteered the information, you usually didn't ask about someone else's powers. But all the same…

"What exactly does your sensory ability tell you?" he asked.

She blinked. She'd been drifting off to sleep, but his question brought her back to alertness. "Chakra signatures," she yawned. "I can tell where someone is, how much chakra someone has, I guess, for lack of a better term, the _flavour_ of their chakra, whether they're lying, something of their mental state." She didn't see a problem answering his question. It was simple enough.

"Hmm," he grunted. "And you can just turn it on and off at will?"

"Mostly," she admitted. "Some people I can't shut out. Naruto-kun – he's just too…" she trailed off. His chuckle of understanding told her he got it. She was quiet for a moment. "Sakura-chan, she's been my friend for years. Same with Ino-chan, and Hinata-chan. You," she muttered, quietly. "You're too damn _bright_."

He found it flattering, actually. He knew he was powerful. Hearing it from this kunoichi didn't damage his ego any. But something niggled at the back of his mind. She'd basically implied that she could read his state of mind from his chakra. Did that mean… had he been manipulated? He had a growing feeling of betrayal, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Karin felt his chakra shift, of course, though she had no idea why. All she knew is that suddenly he went cold – almost murderous. His hand on her arm tightened painfully. She heard the pop of the cork in his gourd. She froze.

"Did Konoha put you up to this?!" he snarled darkly.

 _What…?_ One long moment passed as she realized where his trail of thoughts had gone, and she busted out laughing.

He'd expected a denial, of course – or any of the classic dodges of a dishonest person caught in the act. He hadn't expected her to burst into hysterical laughter. The sand fell to the floor. He blinked.

"Did you think _Konoha_ had ordered me to seduce the Kazekage?" She turned, looking back at him. Seriously, what the fuck? Did he think the world revolved around him?

He was glad the darkness of the room hid his blush. He _had_ indeed thought that this was some bizarre ploy by Konoha. He was silent.

She continued. "Honestly, that day at the chūnin exams, I was only _there_ because Naruto takes every opportunity he can to parade his reformed criminal around to the public so they don't get any ideas and whack me. I had no idea you were behind me, and I had no idea that little shit kid was going to tell you to 'get lost' and send me with you. I've spent the last _month_ trudging through _hell_ , wondering if I was ever going to get back to Konoha, wondering if I should just run off and become a missing-nin instead of the almost-certain execution or permanent imprisonment that awaits me at _home_ , with _you_ pissing me off at every turn. You seriously the most overbearing, arrogant, controlling, domineering, assholish..."

The litany of his supposed flaws continued for quite some time, and Gaara could feel his face getting hot as the kunoichi continued. This was absolutely not the reaction he was expecting.

"…Suspicious, jealous _dickhead_ I have ever met! And the _assumptions_! You _assumed_ I was sleeping with Chung-Hee, you _assumed_ I had been sent to seduce you, you—."

"Then why _did_ you?!" he choked, cutting off her next set of insults.

"Last I checked, that was _you_ starting things in the cave," she snarked.

Well, he _had_ started things in the cave, yes, but… _she could tell what she was doing to him_. "You knew what you were doing to me," he said, darkly. "Why did you do it?"

"Because, you crazy bastard, you… _you…_ " she trailed off, unable to verbalize the fact that he scared the shit out of her, intoxicated her, and fanned her into raging lust, all at the same time.

Gaara had a sudden realization. This was an entirely unfeigned reaction. She couldn't explain any of this any better than _he_ could. For all she kept calling _him_ a crazy bastard, she was just as bad! And she apparently _got off_ on provoking him to the point of insanity. She _wanted_ him. It was as clear as day. In the darkness his face twisted into a maniacal grin. His hand slid off her arm, down her chest. He grabbed her breast roughly, feeling and hearing her gasp.

"I _what_?" he growled in her ear, voice dangerous. He was testing a theory… but he felt every erg of what he now knew he was blasting out with his chakra.

**~~lemononestart~~**

She shuddered uncontrollably. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest as he tightened his grip on her breast. His other hand, the one he was laying on, went to her shoulder, fingers pressing hard into her skin. He left her breast, sliding his hands between the opening in her robe, down her firm abdomen, towards her pussy. Karin gasped, heart racing, trying not to lose control of herself.

He dug into her patch of red hair, finger slipping between the lips, finding the soaking confirmation he sought. He hissed in her ear and she stiffened. Inside the pit of his stomach the flames roared to life as he found that sensitive little nub that seemed to provoke such a satisfying reaction.

Karin moaned, gasping, as he touched her. Gaara seemed to have a fascination with finger-banging her. She twisted, moving involuntarily, each breath producing a sharp gasp, until… until… once more she was screaming in his hands, only this time she was screaming his name.

His own name struck him like an arrow to his core. He gasped, a bolt of pure lust flaming straight to his groin at her reaction when he brought her to orgasm. His erection was almost painful. Wordlessly, he shifted on the bed, pulling her onto her back. Her legs parted for him, even as he moved between them. Karin knew she was going to feel this in the morning, but right now she didn't care. She as much pulled him onto her as he put himself there.

With a groan he slid into her, almost losing himself at the feel of her. She moaned. She was sore, but any pain was momentarily forgotten. Gaara was far more vocal in his passion than either Genma or Sasuke had been; a reaction that just fanned her hotter. Neither of them lasted long, before they both came, voices calling, arms around each other, gripping tight in passion.

Well… he had _meant_ to let her heal tonight. Oops. But there was his answer, with a raw honesty he hadn't anticipated.

"Yeah…" she panted. "That." Holy shit, this man… She felt like a moth at the candle.

His sardonic, passion-roughened laugh shook them both. Once again, he realized that he felt amazing. This was _marvelous_ stress relief. But as much as he wanted to keep going, he knew they had better stop.

**~~lemononeend~~**

"We'd better get some sleep," he grated, reluctantly sliding off her. He curled possessively around her body, unwilling to disengage completely. She felt one hand slide up her chest and give her left breast a squeeze. "We've got a long way to travel."

All she could really manage was a small sound of agreement. Kami, he was intense. He was an alluring power-house of chakra combined with what appeared to be a flash-fire sex drive. It was unlike anything she had ever witnessed before, and somehow she was responsible for triggering this crazy sex machine into being. From a distance, he had always seem so collected and restrained – even in the heat of battle. She found this secret Gaara to be intoxicatingly dangerous, utterly irresistible.

* * *

He woke up first, this time at the far more reasonable hour of 6 am. Careful not to disturb her, he extracted himself from the bed. He needed a shower, badly, before the smell of her on him threatened to ignite him past control. Kankurō, who was Gaara's primary source of knowledge for all things sexual, had never mentioned how deeply _scent_ could affect one. He resolved to ask his elder brother more about it when he got back to Suna.

Ask he showered, Karin stirred to wakefulness, sitting up in the bed with a wince. She could hear the sound of Gaara in the shower. Ugh, so much _walking_ ahead of them. She was so sore. The onsen had helped a lot. The sex last night hadn't. She figured she would survive, somehow.

He emerged from the bathroom, wet hair plastered around his face, towel wrapped around his waist, and spotted her. "Morning," he mumbled, eyes glittering as he leaned against the wall and surveyed her. Karin flushed at his gaze, trying not to think about how appealing he looked. "Shower's free," he said.

"Thanks," she replied, heading into the bathroom and trying to ignore his eyes roaming her. She resisted the urge to pull the robe shut to hide her bite-scarred form.

In actuality, Gaara didn't care about the scars. Scars were a way of life for shinobi – he didn't have any, but that had more to do with his sand armour than anything else. Those scars were a small price to pay for such an incredibly useful ability, in his mind. Karin's shape was enough to heat his blood. And anything she did that invoked any emotion in him whatsoever tended to bonfire spectacularly into lust very quickly. He'd never experienced anything like this – not the attraction, nor the consequences. However bizarre the circumstances may have been, he had already decided that he liked this. And he planned to keep her in his sight until they got to Konoha. What happened then, he wasn't sure about, he'd have to figure it out as they went. But until then… Until then, he decided, she was _his_. He was determined to make the most of this.

He dressed while she showered, packing up his few possessions into his traveling gear and slipping the harness with the gourd on his back. He gave the suite a sweep, gathering up her things and putting them together for her. He was ready to go when she emerged. It didn't take her long to get ready – long practice made strapping on all the weapons and gear and slipping on the clothes a fairly quick process.

"Let's see what they're serving for breakfast," she suggested. He nodded, pushing open the door and preceding her to the common room.

They ate together, in silence – something called 'bibimbap' which made a perfectly good breakfast. Afterwards, Karin nursed a cup of tea in the common room while Gaara settled with the innkeeper. There was, of course, no damage to the suite. Gaara wasn't about to leave even a single grain of his _own_ sand behind, and they hadn't gotten up to anything particularly destructive last night. He got the full deposit back. The innkeeper sensed that this intense young man was a dangerous man to cross, too, and didn't make a fuss once he'd seen that the suite was unharmed.

"Let's go," he said as he entered the common room once more. She nodded and rose, joining him as they left the inn.

Gaara passed Karin a wad of bills as they exited the building – the money he had borrowed yesterday. She nodded thanks and pocketed it with the rest of her money. They got back on the road.

His businesslike, almost pleasant attitude continued the whole day, and Karin wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. His chakra was collected and balanced, and he seemed to actually be in a _good mood_ for once. There were no pointed barbs or insinuations of incompetence, no snide suggestions that anything that happened was somehow _all her fault_ , and he was polite – even friendly to her all day. If all it took to get him to stop being such an asshole was to, well, fuck his brains out… she should have done this a long time ago!

The rainy season in the empire southwest of Wind Country typically lasted 2-3 months. It seemed that there was a lull in the onslaught; the last two days had been fairly dry and so had this one. It made the going faster – the clay roads dried and no longer offered the risk to life and limb just traversing them. They didn't have to use chakra just to keep traction or keep globs of clay from grabbing onto their shinobi boots, like they had before reaching the oncheon town. They made a good distance before the sun started to set and they found a suitable spot to set up camp.

The road passed through a forested area. Their campsite was in a glade a little way off the roadside. They'd found some dead wood, enough for a cheery little fire. A quick scout around by Karin and a few kunai-throws later brought a brace of grouse to supplement the rations Gaara had purchased. Karin's ability was invaluable for locating game. She came back to the clearing, string of grouse in hand, to find that Gaara had gotten the fire started, and set up a tent, his gourd sitting outside it as he tended the fire. It was a larger tent than she recalled him having, previously. She arched an eyebrow at it. Gaara ignored her.

"I caught some supper," she said, holding out the pine grouse.

"Thanks," he said.

… _Thanks?_ No sarcastic comments implying a lack of hunting prowess? No snarky comments about how he could have done better? Just… _thanks_? Karin marvelled at the change in him.

They each cleaned a bird, putting them on sticks over the fire to roast. "I should set up my tent," Karin said.

"Why?" He arched a brow at her. She stared at him.

"Because it might rain…?" Karin said, giving him a sarcastic look across the fire. It seemed obvious to her. What a weird question. Did he expect her to sleep on the ground without a tent?

"I already set up a tent." Boy, Karin could be dense sometimes, Gaara thought. Or had she really thought… "Your bedroll is already inside." He raised his head, eyes meeting hers, lips curling upwards, showing teeth. " _Or did you think you were going to get away from me?_ " he asked.

The expression on her face was _priceless_. Gaara knew he'd struck home as she twitched, turning white, then red, then white again, then _very red_. Seeing her react ignited him, and he let it, knowing damn well that she was probably feeling it in his chakra right now, and ruthlessly using it to his advantage.

Gaara was a fast learner.

Karin was indeed reacting, pretty much as Gaara had anticipated. She could feel the naked lust in his chakra when his expression changed. She realized that he had _no_ intention of leaving her alone. She felt herself flush and pale, as his words and chakra sank into her. Domineering asshole, doing something like that without even consulting her! _Holyshitshewantedhimbad!_

That predatory almost-smile was still on his face as he lurched past the campfire, and suddenly his face was right up in front of hers, his eyes right on hers. She felt the urge to back away, aware that her heart was pounding

"I could take you right _here,_ in the dirt," he rasped, grin deepening. "But I went through all that trouble to set up a tent…"

Her reaction satisfied him immensely. She looked like she was about to faint, combust, and bolt at the same time. Before she could make up her mind, he grabbed her collar and pulled her towards him, kissing her hard.

Oh Kami, she was on fire. Somehow she ended up on her back in the dirt, Gaara once again on top of her, his body between her legs and his hands everywhere on her. They were still dressed, but both of their flak jackets were completely unbuckled and they were both making progress on each other's pants. Then, something in the fire cracked loudly and the logs shifted, and he stopped, turning to look back at it.

"Shit, the birds…" he exclaimed, getting off of her. They both scrambled, managing to salvage the grouse before they burned too badly from dipping into the fire. Realizing they'd nearly lost their supper, they both focused their attention on cooking.

The birds had a strong pine taste, but the rations were a good side dish and they were both glad for hot food. Who knew when it would be dry enough for a fire again. The fire had died down to coals. Finishing their meal, they looked at each other. And then they were both moving, towards the tent, rapidly undressing one another. Once more, they finished the night with Karin screaming beneath an equally vocal Gaara.

In the morning, as they both prepared for the day's travel – Karin once again moving a little gingerly – Gaara realized he hadn't seen her do the contraception jutsu since that night in the cave. "Don't you need to do the jutsu?" he asked her, puzzled. His mind was once again wandering to the possibility of some kind of entrapment.

"Once a week," she said, shrugging on her flak jacket. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Didn't your previous girlfriends explain it?"

"No," Gaara said, omitting the fact that he'd never had _any_ girlfriends previously, and wondering if _that's_ what she was to him.

He really knew _nothing_ , didn't he? Karin eyed him. "Once a week," she said, again, and continued. "It stops the female cycle and a lot of kunoichi use it continuously when on long missions because they don't want to bleed. I hadn't bothered so far because my period is usually not a problem. It also prevents conception completely, which makes it a very useful thing for a kunoichi." Rape was often the first thing a male enemy tried to do to a kunoichi in his power, to break her spirit. And almost all shinobi were hedonists. Live fast, die young and all that. Karin had been out of any _real_ action, doing shitty D-rank missions for a long enough time, and with no boyfriend, that she just hadn't seen a need to keep it up, until that night in the cave. Cat retrieval and toddler wrangling carried few real risks, as far as missions went.

Well… he considered the fact that if she hadn't been maintaining the contraception jutsu the whole time they had been traveling, it was likely she hadn't planned any of this. This mollified him. Imperceptibly to anyone else but Karin, he relaxed, becoming more at ease with the situation, and with _her._

* * *

They made good time that day, and even the next, though it started raining again. They spent each day travelling, and each night in Gaara's tent, banging each other. The third day, they used his sand to cross a raging river that had destroyed the bridge that had once provided passage over the gap. That night, they sat across the fire from one another. Karin was lost in thought, unaware that she had been staring off in Gaara's direction until he spoke.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Oh," she murmured, returning to earth. "I'm sorry, I was thinking. You're not the same person I remember from those chūnin exams." Her voice was light, with no barbs. Somehow, since the onsen, neither of them had baited the other, and their interactions had been far less contentious – even cordial, in fact.

He shifted, somewhat uncomfortable. "You were _there_?" _He_ knew what he had been like, back then. Sure, much of it was Shukaku, but… he still felt ashamed.

"Yeah, as a genin. My team didn't even make it past the forest. But I remember… seeing you." It had given her nightmares when she was younger. "You changed… What happened?"

He shifted again. "Naruto," he admitted.

"Ahhh," she said, tone knowing. She had her own personal experiences with the transformative effects of Naruto.

"It was after the exams. I failed to kill Sasuke—er, sorry, I remember you and him were close once…" he trailed off.

"Once," she said, bitterly. "Go on."

"Immediately after the last fight, we struck. You were Oto then, so you might remember the Konoha Crush plan."

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

He continued. "Well, my siblings and I fought Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto, and Naruto kicked my ass in _completely_. During that fight I found out he was like me – he was also a Jinchūriki who had been rejected by his village. But he wasn't _like_ me, in that he had love for other people and it made him stronger, not weaker. I spoke to him, before I lost consciousness, and he explained that he was strong because he had people to protect. It was something I had _never_ thought of. After that I decided to become more like Naruto, to protect my family and my village and those things that were precious to me. I would have never become Kazekage if it wasn't for him kicking my ass all those years ago." They were silent for a moment, as Karin processed Gaara's story. "I remember you from the start of the war, too. You are different from you were then," he said, after a pause.

"Yeah, well…" she began, "Naruto had something to do with that, _too_. Sasuke… you remember I was involved with him. Well, he tried to kill Shimura Danzō. No, not _tried_ , he succeeded, but he struck through _me_ to do it."

"Through _you_?" He knew about Danzo's death, of course. He hadn't known Karin had nearly died.

"Yeah," her voice was bitter. "The fucker almost killed me. Konoha took me captive and I rotted in their dungeon for some time – I think it might have been six months or so. I missed the whole spectacular mess. I hear Sasuke got pardoned, but he didn't stick around. He's off somewhere with Orochimaru… planning trouble, no doubt. Sakura pines after him, _still_. I couldn't care less if he lived or died, not after what he did."

"I'm not particularly fond of him either. I wouldn't have pardoned him… but then, I wouldn't have taken you in, either," he admitted.

"Konoha didn't want to, either. Well, the council didn't. Tsunade – she was Hokage again, then – she didn't want to execute me, but the council wanted my head. It was Naruto that saved my ass. Naruto and Sakura." She wasn't upset at Gaara's admission that he would have thrown her to the wolves in the same circumstance. The fact that she was still alive was Naruto and Sakura, plain and simple. Those two were… unique.

"Yeah, they do that," his tone was dry, understanding. There was amusement hidden within it. "I wouldn't be alive now, if it wasn't for them."

"I heard they saved you after Akatsuki kidnapped you." She hadn't been part of Akatsuki then.

"Yeah, they did. What most don't know is that I was dead – the process of removing Shukaku killed me," he said, taking a deep breath, before continuing. "Sakura and an elder from my village – Elder Chiyo, fought and defeated Sasori. I was already dead by then, but Elder Chiyo and Sakura used a jutsu to bring me back to life. Elder Chiyo sacrificed her life so that I might live. Without both of them, I wouldn't exist anymore."

"You were _dead_? I mean, I knew that the process of extracting the bijū killed most Jinchūriki, but you were still kicking around so I figured…" she trailed off.

"No, I died. I was dead. They brought me back," he said, voice quiet. The silence drew on for several minutes.

"What was it like?" Karin finally asked, softly, breaking the quiet.

After a moment, Gaara replied. "Peaceful… lonely… I saw everything I had ever regretted, and saw that I had lived a life that had done no one any good. Then Naruto showed up, and well, made a ruckus. And then I woke up. And I resolved to live my life so that when I died again – in due time, of course – that I would see that I have made a difference and done a lot of good."

"Naruto has that effect on people," she said.

"Hn. Yes, he definitely does. He's a very special person."

It was her turn to shift uncomfortably on her log. What she wanted to say, she had never admitted to anyone else. But it felt ok to talk about it to him. "I was going to run, originally," she said. She saw him look up, meet her eyes curiously. "After probation was over and the damn curse seal was removed. I figured, back when they released me from that cell, that I would do my three years and then run off as soon as the opportunity presented itself."

He listened to her phrasing, reading in between the lines. "But not anymore, I take it?"

"No, not anymore. Naruto happened. And Sakura. I have _friends_ now, something I never had back when I was Orochimaru's creature. I have people who are important to me. Sure, Konoha can be kind of a bitch at times, but I love my friends."

"I never had friends before I met Naruto," he admitted, smiling. They spent a little more time talking, before heading into the tent for sleep… after sex, of course.

* * *

Five days after they had left the onsen, their road connected with the well-maintained imperial highway as they arrived in the lowlands. From there until Beullu Sawon, the roads were thick with travellers and merchants, and there were enough little towns and stations along the way that they spent the next few nights in comfortable inn rooms, with hot meals every morning and night, and even sometimes for lunch. They spoke to each other more, since the night after crossing the river. Instead of traveling in silence, they chatted, talking about their lives and experiences, their adventures, and their hopes. Gaara, who had never really had anyone to confide in like this, found himself opening up far more than he ever thought possible. Sure, he had a sister and brother and former sensei whom he loved, but there were things he never felt comfortable discussing with them. With Karin, things were different.

By the day they reached the city, nearly two weeks had passed since they had left Danpung City. Back in Danpung, Chan-Sook would be marrying her gukgong soon. As Karin watched the moon through the window of their inn room, Gaara wrapped around her, already fast asleep, she wondered how the hime and her betrothed were getting along. She wondered if the girl made it to the wedding with her maidenhead intact, and doubted it.

Tomorrow, they would enter the gates of Beullu Sawon, purchase passage back to Fire Country, and prepare to return home. She considered _home_ for a moment. Konoha had truly become home to her, sometime over the last three years. Enough so that she had long since discarded the idea of staying permanently on the run as a missing-nin and would go home and face whatever punishment they decided peaceably. She hoped they wouldn't execute her. She wondered how Sakura was doing, and Ino, and her other friends. She hoped that she would be allowed to attend Hinata and Naruto's wedding.

Whatever her fate would be, Gaara would have to go back to Suna. He was the Kazekage. She was just a reformed criminal, currently AWOL. What was he to her, anyway, or she to him? In the darkness, she burrowed her head deeper against his chest, her hand curling into the hair at the back of his neck. In his sleep, he tightened his grip on her. She sighed. He was damn powerful, with incredible, alluring chakra. He could go from apparently calm and collected to raging with desire in a moment, and he could effortlessly make her feel the same.

Somehow, they had managed to not kill each other – ok, if she was honest with herself she could admit that she would be unlikely to ever be able to kill _him_ ; somehow, he hadn't killed her… Somehow, instead, they had ended up _like this_. He'd made it clear that he expected this to continue indefinitely, and she hadn't been inclined to refuse. The crazy bastard got her so hot it was unbearable sometimes.

She would figure out what she was going to do about this when the time came. Until then… Well, she liked this far too much to _stop_ , even if she knew damn well it couldn't last. No one had ever, in her life, invoked feelings like these in her. Not even Sasuke, and her infatuation with him had been pretty strong. Sasuke had sex with her eventually, mostly because she had thrown herself at him constantly. It had been almost perfunctory, she recalled in retrospect. And he had not hesitated to strike through her to get to Danzō. Danzō had deserved it, but she was pretty sure _she_ hadn't.

Sasuke hadn't really wanted her. He'd just fucked her because she was _there_ , taking it more or less as his due. Gaara, on the other hand… he burned with an intensity that she had never thought she would ever witness in another human being, and it was very much directed right at _her_. Sure, he was occasionally an arrogant dumbass and made a lot of assumptions, but… Dear Kami, she'd never felt anything like this for another person, or had another person take possession of her as fiercely as Gaara had. She was going to miss him, if she survived.


	12. Chapter 11 - Shining Jewel of the Empire: Blue Temple City! Oh Fuck It, Let's Go Home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for the last chapter in pseudo-Korea! What horrors shall I inflict upon our two unfortunate gingers next?
> 
> No sex warnings on this chapter, but there is plenty of good, old-fashioned mayhem.

The next day dawned with a rare blue sky, the air crisp and briny from a sea breeze. The city gates had closed for the night when they had arrived to the traveller's lodge on the outskirts. Together, they walked along the busy road, cresting the rise overlooking the bay. Beullu Sawan was a major trade port in the capital province, controlled by the empire directly, and Gaara had heard it described as a jewel. As the city spread out before them, he understood why.

Beullu Sawan was an incredible sight. Both Karin and Gaara stopped to admire the view, in silent accord, stepping off the side of the road to look at the vista before them. Lush green spurs of land encircled an almost perfectly hemispherical deep blue bay filled with ships. Each great, green arm of land was tipped with a huge naval tower, from which an absolutely enormous chain dipped into the waters to hang between them. The city nestled like a pearl in the centre of the curving beach, a vast harbour filled with vessels of all types and sizes bobbing in the water. The enormous temple complex for which the city was named sprawled over the hillside, ornate buildings capped with striking blue-shingled roofs. Great care had clearly been taken to maintain the blue-roofed theme throughout the city. The streets bustled with activity, even this early in the morning. The wind carried spices and exotic scents, thrilling Karin. She could _surely_ find a unique fragrance for her collection _here_.

"Wow," Karin breathed at the sight. Gaara silently agreed. Neither shinobi had ever seen a city this beautiful. And, somewhere down in that shimmering harbour, there would likely be a ship that could give them passage back to Five Countries. With any luck, they'd even be able to afford the trip.

They descended into the valley, passing through the wide gates. It was clearly a city accustomed to peace, at least on the land side. The gates were wide and the flow of traffic was thick, and the walls looked more decorative than defensive. They crossed into the city, following the wide, paved boulevard past inns and shops. They had seen from the heights that the roads were organized into a series of curving avenues following the contours of the bay, lined with spoke-like streets. The city had been designed for beauty and ease of travel, not defense. The defense was out in the bay, where a naval fleet anchored out by the immense chain-bearing emplacement.

Behind them, in the gatehouse which was almost a formality, the guards flurried into alertness at the steady, frantic _bipbipbip_ of the imperial detectors designed to identify unlicensed chakra users. The guards looked at each other. "Call the Imperial Guard!" the squad leader said. None of them had ever seen readings like _this_ , for rogue chakra users.

Gaara and Karin were walking through a market when they became aware of the commotion going on around the perimeter of the square. They paused, looking at each other briefly in confusion. She quickly used her Kagura Shingan, surprised to see ranks of disciplined, trained chakra users ringing the square. Her chakra sight, and all her chakra, vanished suddenly, just as Gaara's gourd thudded to the ground, dragging him down backwards with a surprised shout.

Even Gaara couldn't lift half a ton of sand without his affinity and chakra.

Before they could realize exactly what was going on, they were surrounded by men and women in some kind of uniform. Startled, they tried to resist, but were quickly overwhelmed. Gaara was pulled from his gourd, his hands cuffed roughly behind his back, and frog-marched off, while more uniformed people did the same to Karin. His chakra stayed gone, an uncomfortable and frightening feeling. As they were dragged from the market, they saw the uniformed people picking up a series of strange devices ringing the square.

Some time later, Gaara was sitting on a metal bench in a cell, hands still cuffed behind him, silently fuming. His possessions had been taken, all his weapons removed from his person, and he had no idea what had happened to his sand. Elsewhere in the imperial jail, Karin was in the same boat.

He cooled his heels in the cell for about an hour, wondering if he would have a chance to communicate with Suna and fix this mess, when a functionary in dress uniform entered the corridor. "Sabaku no Gaara?" the functionary asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar words of his name.

Gaara looked up. "Yes?" he replied.

The functionary looked a little embarrassed as he produced a key to unlock the cell, and then another key to free Gaara from the cuffs. "Please come with me, Kazekage-ssi," he said, as he indicated for Gaara to leave the cell. Gaara complied, stifling the sigh of relief that came, unbidden, as he stepped past the threshold of the cell and his chakra came flooding back. He resisted the urge to rub his wrists.

The man led him down a string of hallways, and knocked on a door, standing quickly to the side. As the command to enter came through the door, he opened it, indicated for Gaara to enter, and gave a perfunctory bow. Gaara entered the room. There was another man sitting at the desk, with bright blue hair and green eyes, wearing what Gaara recognized as the uniform of a Junjang – a Brigadier General.

The man rose, seeing Gaara, and offered a bow. "Please, have a seat, Kazekage-ssi," he requested. "I am Junjang Nam Seung-Chul."

Gaara gave a bow in return, and sat, as the Junjang did the same. He waited for the other man to speak.

"We apologize for detaining you, Kazekage-ssi. Your chakra was not in our records and set off our detectors at the gate. Since all citizens in our country who use chakra are conscripted into the Imperial Guard, you were taken for a rogue chakra user. However, once we had you in custody, a check of your identification told us who you are, and your description matched our records. We had no record of your entry to our country, or the issuing of a travel permit, unfortunately. It may just be a bureaucratic mistake," the Junjang said.

Conscription of chakra users into the Imperial Guard? That explained a few things, like the weird chakra roads and the intimations that the Imperial Guard would roll right over provincial armies. Though it seemed that the little towns in the hinterlands hadn't had such detectors, and nor had Danpung City. Perhaps they were only found in the major cities of the imperial province, Gaara surmised. He supposed he'd better tell this Junjang what had happened, so he could get himself and Karin free. He had flat out _forgotten_ about the travel passes. Which was foolish, as he could recall stamping the permit requests and getting his shinobi to impress their chakra into the little silver discs provided for registration in the past.

"No bureaucratic mistake, I'm afraid," Gaara said. "We've had a bit of an unexpected adventure. Neither of us intended to be within your borders. A month and a half ago, we were caught in an surprise enemy technique which teleported both of us to the mountains, far to the southwest of here," he admitted. The Junjang listened intently. He continued. "My traveling companion and I have been attempting to get back to our own countries ever since. We never had the opportunity to apply properly for the travel permit or register ourselves."

"Well," Seung-Chul said after a moment, "that explains why we don't have a record of either of your chakra." He was silent for a minute, clearly considering what to do. Gaara waited, patiently. "You're aware, of course, that the woman is a criminal? We received notices a few weeks ago, circulated by bounty hunters from your Five Countries." He placed a sheet of paper on the desk, prominently displaying a mugshot of Karin, and several pictures of her in profile and from behind, promising a reward for her return, dead or alive, in both character sets.

"She's under my supervision; I was taking her back to her village for them to deal with," he replied, eyeing the reward notice. _Dead_ or alive? Konoha must be pretty pissed off about her disappearance. Once they got back to Fire Country – that is, if these guys let them free – they would have to travel with caution if he wanted to get her back to the village intact.

"I see," said the Junjang. "We were going to extradite her to Fire Country, but I guess if you're responsible for her, then there shouldn't be a problem in letting her back into your custody. I'm going to need you to fill out the travel permits, of course, for both of you. And you'll have to provide a chakra sample for our records." Seung-Chul had met several shinobi over his years in the Imperial Guard, and had handled such transactions before. Dealing with Five Countries Anbu was always a bizarre ordeal. He was just as happy to hand the criminal over to Gaara, if he proved to be who he seemed to be.

Gaara nodded. "If you'll return my belongings to me, I can stamp a permit for both of us." He was pretty sure Naruto wouldn't mind if he took official responsibility for Karin while in this empire.

"We can do that, but I'm afraid no one has been able to move your, uh, gourd. It's still at the market square."

Gaara wasn't surprised. Without him moving it, that gourd was going nowhere. There was over a cubic metre of sand in the gourd.

The Junjang called for Gaara's possessions to be brought, and also for two copies of the travel permit and application, and chakra user registration discs. Gaara waited patiently as functionaries went to retrieve the said items. He filled out the permits deftly, and then dug around in his pack for the official seal that he had _thankfully_ been carrying with him that fateful night. It was tuned to his chakra alone – if anyone else tried to use it, it would do nothing but make a spectacular mess. In his hands, it made a clean impression on the permit requests, flaring briefly with chakra.

Seeing that, Seung-Chul knew he'd correctly identified Gaara and felt slightly relieved. He inspected the permit documents, taking out a device and running it over the impression from Gaara's seal, then made a pleased grunt at the results. The shinobi was legitimate. There was no sign of counterfeit. He produced two permit cards, wrote the relevant information on them, stamped them with his own stamp, and handed them to Gaara. The Suna nin inspected them, noting that they had been back-dated to approximately when they had been stranded here, and that Karin's permit had a clear indication that she was a prisoner being transported and assigning him as her captor. He suppressed his smirk.

"This is in order. Please place your chakra in this disc, and we'll see about freeing your prisoner for you," Seung-Chul said. Gaara did so, holding the little silver disc between thumb and forefinger, focusing his chakra into it briefly. It glowed blue, and then faded into apparent inertness. The general collected it from him, and then rose. "I'll take you to the prisoner," he said. Gaara nodded, retrieving his possessions and putting what he could into order, while Seung-Chul led him down the corridors to where Karin was being held.

* * *

She was basting in her own misery in the cell, ignoring the catcalls of the drunken ruffian in the cell across from hers. Nothing had been explained to her; she'd just been dumped roughly in the cell after being stripped of her weapons and gear. Gaara was nowhere in sight, and she wondered where he had been taken. Either the bars or the cuffs or both were designed to suppress chakra, because she couldn't access any of hers. Karin hated being imprisoned. And they were _so close_ to leaving this damned empire, too. She sighed.

The sound of a door being unlocked and opened grabbed her attention. Several sets of footsteps echoed down the hall, with the jingling of keys. She looked up, to see two guards approaching, a man in a uniform that _screamed_ rank, and Gaara, apparently completely free. They stopped at her cell.

"Here is your prisoner, Kazekage-ssi. We will return her belongings to you promptly," the man in the impressive uniform said.

 _Prisoner_? She met his eyes, furious. He didn't react. But the guards unlocked the door to her cell, sliding it open. She stood, and they ushered her out. They made no move to remove the cuffs, until Gaara spoke. "The cuffs aren't necessary," he stated, flatly. The guards looked towards the general for confirmation, who nodded. Seung-Chul had read the imperial brief on Gaara once he realized who was in his prison, and was _quite_ sure the shinobi could handle one little redheaded girl, S-ranked criminal or no.

The guards unlocked her cuffs and she sighed with relief as her chakra came back. So it was the cuffs, was it? Probably the bars as well, but hey, why _wouldn't_ they double down on chakra suppression? Fuck, she hated chakra suppression.

They handed her a little silver disc that looked like a coin blank, and one of the guards instructed her to put her chakra in it. She looked at Gaara, unsure. He gave her a brief nod. She focused her chakra in the little silver bit, seeing it glow blue for a moment before fading.

Karin seemed to have been mostly forgotten as the imperials handed over her gear to Gaara. The general thanked Gaara for his patience, and requested that next time he was in their empire that he followed proper bureaucratic protocol.

"I will," Gaara promised, pretty sure there wouldn't be a next time if he could help it.

They were released back into the streets of Beullu Sawan, free shinobi once more. Well, almost. "Prisoner?!" she demanded, acerbically, as Gaara started giving her stuff back to her.

"Konoha's already begun circulating notices for your return, dead or alive. I let them think you were my prisoner to get you out of there," he replied. She blanched. Seeing her expression, he felt bad for her. "Don't worry, I'll get a hawk to Konoha as soon as we reach Five Countries. You'll probably have to travel incognito, though, if we don't want any Anbu on your ass. And you'd better not be anywhere without me, or there might be trouble."

"Dead or alive…" she muttered. Someone on the council probably had a fit over her disappearance. She hoped that having the Kazekage vouching for her absence would gain her some clemency.

They returned to the marketplace where they had been apprehended, and Karin saw people surrounding Gaara's gourd of sand – poking and prodding and even some trying to move it. Gaara snorted derisively and strode up to it while she watched. The crowd parted automatically as he approached, and people were gasping with surprise as he pulled it up easily and slung on the harness. They got out of his way as he returned to where she was standing.

"They didn't bring it when they nabbed us?" she asked, incredulously.

"No one could _lift_ it." His tone was smug.

They went straight for the docks – the sooner they could get out of there, the better. A few inquiries by Gaara revealed a lumbering steam ship that was supposed to be leaving for Fire Country soon, laden with trade goods. They made their way down the quay in search of the captain.

"Well, we don't have a berth for you, but if you don't mind sleeping on the deck, we'll take you. The weather should be good enough," was the answer the captain provided at Gaara's inquiry of passage. The two shinobi exchanged glances. It was a five-day journey, according to the captain. Karin nodded.

"We'll take it," Gaara agreed.

"We sail with the tide tomorrow morning, so don't be late," the captain informed them. They paid for passage, which was cheaper than either of them had expected. They got an inn by the waterfront, paying for one night, going up to the room to put their gear back in order. It was still not even noon. Karin wanted to go back to the marketplace and check out fragrances. It was probably a stupid idea. Konoha had circulated dead or alive notices and they'd reached as far as this port city. If there was an Anbu lurking around, she might end up dead. She leaned on the bed in the inn room and sighed.

Gaara noted the sigh and glanced at her, arching an eyebrow. "What is it?"

She blinked, wondering if she should tell him, or if he'd just respond with something sarcastic. "I wanted to visit a perfumery before we left, but if there's Anbu it's a dumb idea." She decided to answer him honestly.

"A perfumery?" he asked.

"I collect fragrances," she replied.

Everyone needed a hobby, he supposed. He cultivated cacti. He hoped Temari was taking care of his spiky little darlings in his absence, and wasn't over-watering them. He could trust his sister with them. Kankurō would forget all about them.

Did he think she was stupid for liking fragrances? He wasn't saying anything, just looking a bit distracted. She looked away.

"Well, let's go," he said, pulling back her attention. She looked at him, slightly confused. "No Anbu in Five Countries would mess with you with _me_ around. The stalls should still be open for a few more hours, it's barely even lunch time. We can grab something to eat and then see if anyone has something you like. I doubt I'll find any cacti so close to the ocean, and I don't think I could manage to get one back to Suna alive even if I could, but there's no reason you shouldn't be able to find something you like."

Was he offering to escort her to the market? Without any fuss, eye rolling, sarcastic comments, or jabs at her hobby? Though, there hadn't been much of those lately, he'd been almost _nice_. Wait, _cacti_?

"Cacti?" she repeated, looking at him.

"I cultivate cacti," he shrugged. "They're hard to grow, very delicate. Very sensitive plants. It's a skill, it takes a lot of patience and effort. I'm always looking to add to my collection."

She had an absurd mental image of Gaara lavishing tender loving care on the spiny plants. It was a hilarious mental image, completely at odds with the image he presented to the world. Well, she supposed, everyone needed a hobby.

An hour later, he stood protectively behind her, keeping an eye out for trouble as she dabbed and sniffed various samples from different stalls, buying little vials of scent here and there. Was the perfume collection the reason she always smelled so _good_? Though, he had an inkling that the reason behind that wasn't just all this flower juice; he loved the way she smelled when he got her hot. She seemed to be having fun with all the sampling and bargaining. He'd never seen her so obviously enjoying anything she did like she was right now. It was an interesting personality shift. Briefly, he wondered if there was anything in Suna that she'd like – the shinobi village controlled a spice route and as a result had some powerful scents, including one he used regularly back at home. Next time he came to Konoha, he'd bring her something from the Suna scent market, he resolved.

Karin was thrilled. There were some extremely exotic scents here, the likes of which she'd never sniffed before. The prices were good, too, compared to what she usually paid in Five Countries. Maybe it was because the city was such a large port. The shopkeepers bragged about the exotic ingredients and sang the praises of their products, touting the aphrodisiac, medicinal, or other supposed benefits of the scents. She found several she liked, bargaining for small vials and stashing them carefully about her person. She even found something suitable as a gift for Naruto and Hinata's wedding – a pair of supposedly aphrodisiac scents designed for couples. Finally, she spent enough money, and she turned to Gaara, who regarded her mildly.

"Had enough?" he asked.

She smiled, a real, genuine smile, the likes of which he hadn't thought she was capable of. It was actually kind of pretty, he thought. He liked it.

"This was great," she said, grinning at him. They walked back to the waterfront inn, and she resisted the urge to take his hand. It's not like he was her date or something. This wasn't some kind of romantic vacation. But, the last couple of hours shopping, with him as a steady, calm presence nearby, had been fun. For a while, she had almost forgotten that she was currently a missing-nin being hunted by her village.

They had an early supper and headed for the inn room. The change of the tide was supposed to be fairly early tomorrow morning. Realizing that the deck of a ship was probably not conducive to sex, Gaara attempted to make the best of the bed in the inn, and Karin was only too happy to oblige.

* * *

The next morning, they rose before the dawn. Karin hissed, feeling sore. Gaara had been pretty wild last night.

"It's not like you're going to need to do much walking for the next five days, we'll be on a ship," he said, as she gingerly tried to dress. She glared at him. He smirked, entirely unrepentant.

"I still need to walk _to_ the ship," she muttered. His smirk grew.

They packed quickly and checked out, heading for the docks in the misty morning. In the predawn darkness, they greeted the captain and boarded the vessel, the _Shimmerfly_ , and took up residence on the deck, leaning against the rail as the sun came up and the captain barked orders at the crew. The mist was still pretty thick around them as the engine chugged and the great side-wheels turned, pushing _Shimmerfly_ away from the dock. The ship made for the opening in the bay, clearing the enormous harbour chain, deck thrumming with the power of the engines turning the great paddlewheels.

Gaara had never much liked boats, though he'd had little enough exposure to them. He was desert born and bred, and more accustomed to the shimmer of heat baking the sand, the fury of the sandstorm, and the waterless expanse of home. The motion of the vessel was unnerving to him, and it was weird to be surrounded by so much water. At least he didn't get seasick. Although he had to admit, the breeze in his hair was kind of pleasant.

Karin hadn't had much experience with ships, either, and also didn't like boats. But, she didn't mind the voyage so much on this one. It was much bigger and more stable than any other ship she'd been on. When the fog finally cleared and the early morning sun shone down, warming her, she even enjoyed it. Seabirds wheeled by above them, their piping cries singing through the air. Off the left side – which the sailors called port – she could see land in the distance. The big, side-wheel-driven vessel was not the fastest thing in the ocean, but it slipped through the swells at a satisfying clip.

The ship stayed within sight of the coastline, cruising along. They both got used to the droning hum of the engine, the feel of it vibrating through the deck plates. Around them, the sailors worked. Occasionally, some of the crew, most of whom were from the empire, would stop by to talk with the two shinobi, full of questions about their homelands. Gaara and Karin kept their answers to trivialities and general knowledge, deflecting questions about themselves.

They ate in the galley with the crew, and spent the night sleeping on the deck, curled up in their bedrolls. Karin woke in the morning to discover somehow that Gaara had _still_ managed to curl around her, bedroll and all. He woke at her movement, and she felt in his chakra what he was attempting to keep at bay. The deck of the steamship was a little too public for either of them.

As they sailed, Gaara's sexual frustration, something he had managed to forget about for the last two weeks, was further provoked by the enforced celibacy. Sensing his foul temper, Karin started to do her best to avoid him during the day. She wasn't sure what his problem was, just that it had something to do with _her_ , somehow, judging by the feel of his chakra whenever he looked at her. The enforced idleness made them both feel stir crazy. There was nothing to do on the ship – the sailors had it well in hand and wouldn't trust the running of the vessel to the hands of amateurs.

On the third day, the captain's nervousness managed to catch Gaara's attention, distracting him from the incessant fantasies of Karin that had been preoccupying him. He approached the captain, inquiring as to what the problem was.

Captain Kam Jae-Suk looked at the young shinobi. The redheaded man had an aura of power and competence about him that was palpable. The captain was well traveled enough to know these shinobi were capable warriors. So he told him. "We're being tailed. Most likely pirates."

Pirates, huh? That explained why the captain kept pulling up his spyglass to watch out over the waters behind them. "Aren't we fast enough to avoid them?" he asked.

"No, not if it's pirates," the captain replied. " _Shimmerfly_ is a good ship, but she's heavy, especially laden as she is right now. And she's big, bulky – designed to get from here to there at a _steady_ pace, not a fast pace. I'd stake my life on her reliability in any kind of sea, and she'll go regardless of the wind, but she is _not_ fast. We make 6 knots on a good day, 8 if conditions are just right. They'll be in clippers, and the wind is on _their_ side. That means 15 knots, or more. If there's pirates, they'll overtake us. The only real advantage we have is that _Shimmerfly_ is mostly metal, whereas their hulls will be wood for the speed. They won't sink us easily, but that doesn't mean they can't board us."

"If there's pirates, they'll regret coming anywhere near us," Gaara promised. Jae-Suk assessed the young man, taking in the casual self-assurance and air of control.

"We're not warriors on this ship, but we'll fight if we have to. What can you do?" the captain asked.

"I fight with the sand I carry in my gourd. My companion is a sensor – she can tell how many people we face, and exactly where they are, at a range of at least 20 kilometres. Both of us are skilled in shinobi combat – able to use all the tricks of the trade. If pirates come anywhere near us, they'll discover what a bad idea it is to take on shinobi."

Jae-Suk blinked. Perhaps he should have been paying the shinobi, instead of the other way around. "Can I count on you if they attack?"

Gaara's lips curled into a feral smile. "Of course," he promised.

"What's going on?" Karin asked, striding up to where Gaara was conversing with the captain. She'd felt his chakra spike with bloodlust and gotten curious.

"Pirates," Gaara smirked.

"Oh," she replied. She used her Kagura Shingan automatically, scanning for threats. "Aha, I see them. Two… no, three concentrations of people out there, clearly looking for a fight. Let's see… oh, that's a lot of people."

Gaara watched her, waiting.

"Couple hundred crew members, at least," she concluded. "They're about 5 kilometres out."

"Shit," said Captain Jae-Suk, who, in the way of sailors, understood a decent amount of Five Countries' speech. "We've got 150, there's no way we can fight off that many. _Three_ ships?"

"Just wait until they get close enough," the Sand shinobi grinned.

"I hope you two are up to it," Jae-Suk said, and left to alert his first mate of the potential upcoming fracas.

Karin kept watch at the stern, Gaara by her side. On the deck, the crew bustled, pulling out large bamboo tubes and stacking rockets on the deck, similar to the bamboo cannons both shinobi had seen used in the war. The speck on the horizon grew steadily.

"They're trying to hide their numbers, traveling in a line in each other's wakes," the captain commented, using his spyglass. "Their captains are good, to pull that off. Ships tend to pull out in a V unless you follow _exactly_ in the wake. V is the most efficient formation. If you hadn't told me there was three of them, I would think there is just one."

"There's three," Karin murmured. The wind, coming from behind the ship, whipped at her hair.

The pirates approached, on a heading straight for the sluggish steamship. Eventually, they got close enough to do away with the deception, and the three ships fanned out, clearly meaning to attempt an encircling manoeuver intended to drive their beleaguered prey towards the coastline, where the options to flee would be limited.

"They're going to try to herd us. Are you two sure you can handle this?" Jae-Suk asked. Both Karin and Gaara nodded. "Alright then, we'll make a stand. I don't want to get anywhere near that coastline – there's shipkillers there." He turned to the first mate, barking out orders. The officers repeated the commands. The ship drifted, the great paddles coming to a halt, as the engine idled. On the deck, the sailors began preparing the bamboo cannons for the first rocket volley.

The cork popped out of Gaara's gourd, and sand hissed, writhing into ribbons above his head. The captain eyed this, hoping the young man's claims were more than just bravado.

"Any objections to just sinking them?" Gaara asked.

"That would be ideal, if you can do it," the captain replied.

"Which one?" Gaara asked Karin. She considered, studying the targets.

"That one," she answered, gesturing to the ship with the biggest crew. It was in the lead.

Gaara gripped the railing tight enough to make his knuckles white and leaned forward with a feral grin, his sand snaking through the air towards the target. The shouts of the pirates as the tan-brown ribbon streaked towards them carried all the way to the steamship. He made the sand into a lance with his will, driving it full speed into the hull of the lead ship. The crack of wood echoed all the way to them, with more shouts from the pirate ship.

Jae-Suk muttered a profanity, watching through his tube as Gaara's sand punched through the wooden hull. The whole ship shuddered at the impact, sails rippling.

Gaara concentrated. He didn't want to dunk his sand, he wasn't sure he could get it out of the water and that was _his_ sand. He brought the lance of sand up again, circling around to dive straight down into the deck. Once below deck, he made a series of hand seals and focused his chakra. The sand exploded into spikes, shattering through decks and bursting out through the seams of the hull.

There was nothing Karin could do at this distance, but she watched the explosion of chakra as Gaara shattered the internal structure of the ship, and saw several chakra signatures snuff out as his sand killed any pirate unfortunate enough to be caught down there. Then the sand reformed back into a huge ribbon, tearing through wood like paper. The sand pillared up, and then burst, shredding the sails of the ship, which rocked ominously in the water. Leaking from thousands of cuts, de-sailed, shredded internally, and holed by Gaara's devastating first strike, the vessel began listing, all forward motion halted. Pirates began abandoning the doomed ship, frantically lowering lifeboats or even just jumping and swimming desperately for the other two ships.

Gaara ignored the ones swimming for it, instead using the sand-eye he had quickly conjured to pick off targets and crush them in his sand. He then proceeded to repeat the process with the second nearest ship. By the time he had finished, the third ship was turning away to tack into the wind, desperately trying to escape. Gaara's sand swirled ominously in the sky. The crew of the _Shimmerfly_ began to cheer.

"Do you want me to sink it?" he asked the captain, who was standing beside the shinobi, eyes glued to the glass.

"No, let them run," Jae-Suk said. Gaara grunted. The surviving pirates with lifeboats were busy pulling their comrades from the ocean. They could row to the shore – lifeboats could navigate the treacherous rocks a lot better than large ships like the _Shimmerfly_. Gaara brought his sand back. It snaked into his gourd, the grains hissing as they moved. The cork popped back in. He relaxed his stance, looking around.

The sailors of the _Shimmerfly_ were clapping and cheering. Some patted him and Karin cheerily on the back in congratulations. None of them seemed upset or terrified at seeing two ships sunk with such rapidity, but then again, these were pirates who would have almost surely either killed the crew or held them for ransom. The captain once again considered that perhaps he should be paying the shinobi, instead of the other way around, and wished he'd actually had a couple of spare berths to offer them below deck. All his passenger space was currently filled with spices and fragile ceramics. He hadn't been planning on taking passengers this trip.

Gaara ignored the crewmembers. In the aftermath of 'battle', such as it was, his heart was still pounding and his blood was still hot. He was horny as _hell_. If there had been no one around, he would have ravished Karin right there on the deck. That he could _not_ was intensely frustrating. He avoided her for the rest of the day, and tried to avoid the crewmembers who attempted to engage him in conversation or congratulations. That night, he kept his bedroll as far away from her as she could, unwilling to endure the temptation of being so close to her but feeling unable to do anything.

Karin wondered what she had done wrong. Ever since the 'fight', his chakra had gone back to what it was like when they had been travelling with Bon-Hwa and the others. It was surly and sharp-edged. He wouldn't even look at her anymore, and wouldn't talk to her anymore, not even when they ate with the rest of the crew. She wondered if it had anything to do with their impending return to Fire Country. Now that they were returning back to their own culture, was he going to go back to ignoring her?

Gaara did his best to avoid Karin, to keep from losing control over himself. As the voyage lengthened, he felt like he was going crazy. The frustration that he had started to feel even before the pirates showed up had just steadily gotten worse and worse. When they finally made landfall, he was going to find an inn and fuck her senseless. Until then, he kept to himself, if only to maintain his own tenuous sanity.

On the morning of the fifth day, they captain announced that they were passing through the land of waves and would be arriving at port that afternoon. Gaara felt a wave of relief at the news. Karin just felt trepidation.

They had arrived back in Five Countries at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early steam vessels were nowhere near as fast as a good sailing vessel. Side-wheel designs like the Shimmerfly were some of the first steam vessels used, and they could go between 5-10 knots (about 10-20 km/hr). A well-designed sailing vessel might get about 15-20 knots. The fastest sailing vessel before modern times got 22 knots. The main utility in steam vessels was that they could take on a huge load and travel in any kind of wind or sea. A sailing vessel can sail into the wind (it's called 'tacking') but it's cumbersome, and if there's no wind, they are 'dead in the water' (that's where the expression comes from). As long as a steamship has fuel, it can go. Anyhow, lemon alert, next chapter.


	13. Chapter 12 - Bound for Konoha... I'm so sorry. I had to do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, entirely consensual lemons in this chapter, and they finally return home. The lemons involve some bondage. Once again I'll mark with ~~firstlemonstart~~ and ~~firstlemonend~~ for skippers and jumpers.

They stepped off the docks onto Fire Country soil for the first time in almost seven weeks. The late afternoon sun dappled through the tall trees surrounding the harbour town. Karin had used a henge jutsu to disguise herself with short unremarkable black hair and eyes, made herself a few inches shorter and a bit tubbier, and hoped it would be enough. Any relief at being back in her own country, with familiar language and culture, was being buried under a growing sense of unease. She had no idea what kind of reception awaited her.

They rented an inn room in the harbour town. Gaara wasn't sure if the overweight, over-cheerful innkeeper and her fox-faced daughter recognized him or not, but they took his foreign money. He led Karin up to the room. "Stay here," he admonished. "Try not to be seen, Karin. I've got to go send those hawks."

Karin nodded, sitting on the bed, as Gaara left to find a money changer, and then the mews.

On the other side of the wall, the fox-faced daughter listened to the conversation intently, watching through a hole in the wall. The woman looked different from the one in the pictures circulated by the Konoha Anbu members who had come by, but the red-haired man – she thought he might be the Kazekage with that hair and that gourd – had called her Karin. She backed away from the spy cubby, and made the jutsu to send a message to the Anbu member for whom she was an informant.

Gaara wanted nothing more than to stay at the inn and ride Karin, but the messages to Suna and Konoha were too important to wait. He found a money changer and quickly exchanged their remaining won for ryo. Then, after a little bit of searching, he found the mews and paid for the messages.

"I am safe and back in Fire Country. I have to stop off at Konoha for some business, but I should be back home to Suna within two weeks," he wrote, in Suna's private code, signing his name, scratching the date, and using his seal to ensure they'd know it was him. That was the first message. The second was written in the code that Konoha and Suna had developed jointly. "I have your probationer, Karin. We will be returning to Konoha within days. Please call off your Anbu." He signed, dated, and stamped that one as well. He attached each one to its respective hawk, and set them to flying, hoping they were as fast as the keeper had promised.

Meanwhile, Karin was sitting on the bed, trying to figure out what she was going to do. She was going to go back to Konoha… with Gaara… but then what? She hoped the council decided to be merciful.

The posts of the bed suddenly creaked, morphing into twisting branches lashing out to wrap around her wrists with frightening speed. She yelped and thrashed, kicking, unable to free herself, as the branches wrapped around her ankles, spreading her out, unable to struggle. The door opened, and an Anbu with a squirrel mask stepped in. Karin lifted her head, eying him warily as he made a few quick hand signs and she saw her red hair reappear through the corner of her eyes. Oh shit.

"Karin-chan. When my informant said she'd heard your name, I didn't dare to hope," he said.

"Let me go, I was on my way back to Konoha! I didn't leave, I got sent by a jutsu!" she shouted.

"Oh, Karin-chan. It's too late for that," he said, with false cheer. "I think you're too much trouble to take back _alive_ , so I think I'll collect the reward for _dead_." He began making hand signs, saying each one in a singsong voice as he did so. "Tora, Mi, Hitsugi—."

"Finish that jutsu and there will be nothing left of you to send back to Konoha," Gaara's cold words interrupted the Anbu. There was an ominous pop and hissing sound. The squirrel-masked shinobi jumped, head whipping around.

"Kazekage-sama!" the Anbu explained.

"She's under my protection. I've had her with me this whole time. You're going to put your hands down and turn around. And then, you're going to go back to Konoha with all speed, and give your council a _message,_ " Gaara's voice was cold. "Tell them to call off their Anbu, I've got their wayward probationer, and I'll have her back in Leaf in a matter of days. And tell them that while I hardly wish to interfere in Konoha's internal affairs…" Gaara's lips curled, showing teeth in what was nowhere near a smile. "If they harm one hair on her head, _the alliance is over and I will personally turn them into a fine, red mist._ _Got it?_ "

"Uhhh, yes, Kazekage-sama!" the Anbu sputtered.

"Oh, if you see any other Anbu along the way, you'd best pass along the message to them. I'd rather not cause an international incident by smearing them across the countryside. This alliance has been fruitful for both of us and I'd hate to break it."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama!"

"You'd better hurry home. That message needs to get there before _I_ do."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama!"

"Say hi to Naruto for me," Gaara said, more cheerfully.

"… Yes, Kazekage-sama! Uhh…" the Anbu hesitated. "Do you… want me to let her free from the jutsu?"

Gaara considered that for a moment. "No," he replied, smirking. "I'll take care of it. Get lost."

The Anbu bolted past Gaara, making as fast an exit as he could. Gaara stepped into the inn room. He looked over to Karin, spread-eagle on the bed. It was a nice sight, even if she was wearing too much clothes for his tastes. She wasn't using her henge.

"What happened to your transformation?" he asked.

"He dispelled it," Karin replied, relieved that she was still alive. She didn't know what Squirrel-face's problem with her was.

"How did he know who you were?"

"He's got an informant," she said. She was still able to move her hands and that was an easy one for her. She activated her Kagura Shingan. "Behind that wall, over there." She gestured with her chin.

The thump of someone beating a hasty retreat confirmed the spy. Gaara headed out the door, sand bursting from his gourd as he ran. It chased the spy, and he felt contact, sending sand surrounding the other and tightening his grasp, bringing them down. He heard a feminine voice yelp, crying out. He strode up to see what he'd caught.

It was the fox-faced innkeeper's daughter. She looked up at him, clearly terrified.

"Next time," he said, kneeling down to look her in the eyes, "I recommend you mind your own business. Your meddling could have started a war."

She vibrated with terror, dark eyes looking up at him. Was he going to kill her?

She reeked of fear, a scent he was very familiar with by now. He sighed, rising, pulling his sand back with him as he went back to the room. "Don't even think about spying on us again," he said, as he walked away.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama," she murmured from the floor, unable to look at him. She realized she was probably lucky to be alive. Once she could get herself up without falling over with fear, she beat a hasty retreat out of there.

Karin was trying to wriggle her way out of the branches wrapped around her arms and legs, and not having much luck. Why had Gaara refused to let that stupid Anbu free her?

He stalked back into the inn room, sand swishing into the gourd, corking firmly closed. He shut the door, and turned to her. Karin felt his chakra flash and crackle, roaring with a now-familiar intensity, as she saw him shrug off the gourd, and then strip off the flak jacket, stalking closer. "Do you know," he growled, pulling off articles of clothing, "how badly I've wanted to fuck you the last five days?" His blue-green eyes burned into hers. "That was the _worst_ five days I've ever spent!"

 _Oh_. So _that's_ why he'd been avoiding her on the steamship. She flushed, realizing why he'd also left her tied up in these stupid branches. It seems he wasn't suddenly indifferent to her, after all.

**~~firstlemonstart~~**

Gaara loomed over her, burning with need. His hands roamed her, undoing the fastenings of her clothing. Somehow, being unable to move just seemed to intensify her response to his touch. Every brush of his hands on her seemed to leave behind a trail of embers.

He quickly realized his logistical error in leaving her bound when he tried to remove her pants. He didn't care about her tabi or anything below her thighs, really, but… the way she was positioned, he wasn't going to be able to get access to what he wanted. He muttered a curse, slipped his hands up her pants to find the kunai she knew she kept strapped there, and liberated the tool. While she sputtered at his audacity, he debated which he should cut. The branches would be less fun, he mused, but then again, neither of them had a lot of clothes with him. She'd get pissed off if he destroyed her pants. Her anger was fun – Karin in an indignant rage ended up turning him on incredibly, he could acknowledge that now. But there might be too many weird questions if he marched her back to Konoha without pants.

Deftly, he cut the branches holding her feet, freeing them, and let the kunai drop to the floor. Then he pulled her pants and underwear off. He grinned at her.

"Aren't you going to free my hands?" she asked.

He met her vivid red eyes, sparking behind her glasses, and smirked. "Nope!"

"You are such a jerk," she gasped, frustrated. He met her furious gaze with that crazy grin.

"Uh huh," he agreed, hands on her thighs, lowering his head to her. Oh dear Kami, the heady scent of her was intoxicating. His heart pounded, and he was breathing hard. With a groan, he pushed her legs farther apart and dove in, finally tasting her.

She moaned at the feel of his tongue on her as he gently spread her labia and began investigating. He found her clitoris – or, as he had tuned Kankurō out during his rants about the importance of 'the clitoris', what he thought of as 'that little bump that made Karin explode' when he touched her there. He'd never had his face this close to a woman's genitals before, well, not since he was born and he didn't want to think about that. Especially not right now. He explored her carefully, intoxicated by the way she tasted, and almost floored by the fragrance of her desire. He let the sounds she was making guide him, figuring those would provide the truest feedback.

Karin's arms jerked in their bonds, automatically trying to fly to tangle her hands in his hair as he went down on her. Greeny-blue eyes flicked to hers, sparking with mischief and lust as he kissed and licked. She started moaning, legs twitching. He slid a hand up her thigh and started using his fingers, too, slipping first one, then two exploratory fingers inside her, while he continued to tongue her clit. She gasped and moaned, chest heaving, face flushed, and he picked up the pace at her reaction, until she was screaming and coming.

He groaned, tearing himself away only long enough to pull himself onto the bed fully, his cock aching with need as it brushed against the coverlet. He hoisted himself up, covering her body with his, mouth fixing on hers. She could smell herself on him, and taste herself on him, and it didn't bother her one bit. She moaned, and he wrapped one hand on her abdomen just below her breast, and drove into her. His eyes fluttering close as he lost himself in her, he set a hard pace, both of them moaning. The room was filled with their vocal moans and shouts and the squeak of the bed.

They kept going for a while, Gaara demonstrating his prodigious stamina, until they were both exhausted. Karin was just about to ask if he was going to ever cut her free when he reached between her breasts and pulled out the kunai she had stashed there, and sliced through the branches.

**~~firstlemonend~~**

"Fuck boats," he grated, the frustration of the last five days finally satisfied, and dropped the kunai on the floor beside the bed. Then he wrapped his arms around her and went to sleep, still inside her. It wasn't much longer before sheer exhaustion took her, too.

* * *

Karin was sincerely wishing she had learned more healing techniques the next morning as they prepared for travel. Seriously, Gaara's idea of sex was 'go-until-we-both-pass-out'. It kept making for _one sore kunoichi_ the next morning. She resolved to get Sakura to teach her some, that is, if they didn't execute her, and if she ever saw Gaara again, and if he ever slept with her again. She kind of figured that he wasn't going to let her sleep alone on the journey back to Konoha; but who knew what would happen once they got home.

She would miss him, she realized. Sure, he could be moody and volatile as fuck and, well, a domineering asshole. He was also hot as all hells and turned her on more than even Sasuke had, back when she was an infatuated adolescent. In his passion, Gaara was absolutely, completely, unabashedly unrestrained in any way. He was incredibly vocal, too; Sasuke had been nearly silent except for a sigh and a grunt here or there, and Genma merely moaned and groaned sexily, but Gaara kept absolutely _nothing_ of himself back. In a society where deception was commonplace and even _required_ for survival, it was refreshing.

And if he only knew one position – grab and go – so what? She could probably teach him something new _eventually_. What he lacked in sexual imagination he more than made up for in sheer intensity and almost frightening stamina. It was unlike anything Karin had ever experienced before. Although, he did seem to have something of a fascination with finger fucking her before he got going, which she really wasn't going to complain about.

And, somehow, over the last few weeks, they had become something like friends. She would miss their long conversations while traveling. She would miss this side of Gaara – so different from the impassive and dangerous Kazekage he presented to the world.

Just as the thought of leaving her on the mountainside the morning after the chūnin exam after-party had never even occurred to Gaara, so too, the thought of anything other than returning her to Konoha and dutifully getting his ass back to Suna as fast as possible never even flitted across his frontal lobe. On the last night after days of travel, before slipping off to sleep, he realized he would _miss her_.

* * *

Naruto was sitting at his desk, stack of paperwork in front of him and a bowl of breakfast ramen currently staining a ring on even more paperwork, when the scout arrived to tell him that the Kazekage had been sighted approaching the village, with the probationer.

"Oh good, let Kankurō know his brother is back once he wakes up, so he can get ready to get back to Suna," Naruto commented between slurps, and then asked Kakashi to meet them at the gate when they arrived. Kankurō had blazed into Konoha late the night before, in a rush, to meet his brother. Naruto had, of course, received Gaara's message by hawk four days ago, and upon the return of the breathless, terrified Anbu the next day, called an emergency council meeting. He had somehow managed to disguise his glee at the reaction of his council when the stammering Anbu agent had relayed Gaara's _second_ message verbatim. At least, Naruto was pretty _sure_ it was verbatim. Somehow, he doubted that 'fine red mist' had been any embellishment by the Anbu.

Notice had immediately been sent to all hunter-nins currently dispatched that Karin was _off_ the kill list and only to be detained if not seen in the presence of the Kazekage. Naruto, of course, was thrilled. He had worked _awful_ hard the first time – before he'd even become Hokage – to keep her from being executed, and while there had never been any gain from her former closeness to Sasuke, he'd come to think of her as a friend.

While she was no longer slated for potential execution, there was still the matter of what to do about her being AWOL for nearly two months. He had argued for complete clemency, but that hadn't flown with the council, who thought she deserved _some kind of punishment_ , regardless of the fact that none of this was _her fault_. They'd eventually come to a compromise that didn't really make anyone happy, but was good enough.

He owed Gaara some thanks for bringing her back, he supposed, and wondered how his friend and colleague had fared, dealing with her legendary attitude for two months. He was grateful that the Sand leader was willing to step up to the plate to force the bloodthirsty old geezers on the council to back down for the sake of a friend. But then again, Gaara had a council of his own and clearly knew all about the trial they could be. Gaara had essentially threatened to start a _war_ to keep Karin alive. Naruto wasn't sure if it was a bluff or not. The council, of course, couldn't take that chance. Naruto didn't want a war with Suna in the slightest, but if they'd executed Karin and Gaara had pasted his council, he would have pretended to be unable to stop him.

* * *

They crossed into Konoha right around noon. The gates were open, and Konoha was clearly expecting them. Karin spotted Hatake Kakashi leaning against a wall, reading something dirty, as Hijiri Shimon called out a greeting from the gate-guard's booth. The legendary masked copy-nin stood up and approached.

"Kazekage-sama, Karin-chan, welcome back to Konoha," Kakashi greeted them. Both redheads murmured a greeting in return. "Kazekage-sama, Konoha is always pleased to host you. Hokage-sama has requested to meet with you if you are available." At Gaara's nod, Kakashi turned to Karin.

"Well," Kakashi began, tone slightly annoyed, "hate to have to do this, Karin-chan, but… you know the drill." The Konoha jōnin spun a pair of familiar bracelets on the end of his finger. Karin sighed, and reluctantly thrust out her hands. On came the hated chakra-suppressing bracelets.

"So what's it gonna be?" she asked, quietly, dreading the response.

"Well, Kazekage-sama's messages were received _loud and clear_ by the council," Kakashi commented, voice cheerful, not missing Gaara's sudden vicious grin. "It's house arrest until Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan's wedding. Then, if you're a good girl, you'll be free. Completely free. No curse seal."

It was a lot better than she had expected. She'd take it, over the alternatives. Gaara's message must have put the fear of the gods into the council, or something.

Kakashi made a few quick hand signs and created a bunshin of himself. "If you'll both come with me, please," one of them said. Karin's eyes flicked to Gaara, who was looking back at her wordlessly. Well, that was that. She turned to let Kakashi – or his bunshin – escort her to her shitty little apartment, where she would moulder for the next two months. It wouldn't matter if it was his bunshin or the real Kakashi – with the chakra bracelets on, even his bunshin could probably kick her ass. Not that she was going to fight.

Gaara watched her turn and walk away with Kakashi's clone. She got several paces away, before he spoke, impulsively. "Karin," he said, voice pitched to carry to her. The cherry-haired kunoichi and the bunshin stopped. She turned, looked at him, face uncertain. "Be well." She nodded, the lump in her throat preventing any real response, and turned to go with the copy-nin's clone.

Kakashi witnessed the exchange silently. He knew all about Gaara's little message to the council – actually, as Naruto's aide, he'd _been there_. While many, like Naruto, had assumed it must be simply a bluff intended to spur the council into doing the right thing, Kakashi had long ago learned never to assume. It was part of his success as a shinobi. Watching the exchange between these two, he became privately certain that he was right. Karin and _Gaara_? The thought was frankly gut-bustingly hilarious, in an unexpected comedy-of-life sort of way. Kakashi, of course, indicated none of his internal reaction as he cheerfully led Gaara to the Hokage tower. Pragmatically, he considered everything he knew about the relentless Kazekage of Suna and decided to start a betting pool as soon as possible. He could make a killing on this.

* * *

"Gaara!" Naruto shouted his friend's name in greeting as the Suna nin passed through his door. He rose and strode immediately to greet Gaara, who accepted Naruto's friendly arm-claps. "Have a seat, please!" the Hokage invited, as Kakashi gave a little wave and left, closing the door. Gaara slipped his gourd to the floor and allowed himself to be steered into a seat in front of Naruto's desk, while his friend sat back down on his chair.

"So glad to see you back, Gaara. Everyone was worried when you disappeared – uh, we kept as much of your sand as we could…" Naruto grinned, sheepishly, hoping that not too much of it had gotten lost in the cleanup efforts. Gaara merely nodded. "Oh yeah, we've got the Amegakure kid locked up, waiting for you to come back so we could decide on sentencing." Another nod. "Amegakure has of course issued a formal apology – I'm sure it's on your desk at home alone with whatever bribe they sent to beg your forgiveness." Another nod from the stone-faced Kazekage.

"Oh, and Gaara?" Naruto said, looking up at Gaara. The redhead blinked, returning his friend's gaze, grunting an encouragement for the blond Jinchūriki to continue. "Thanks _so much_ for bringing back Karin-chan. I hope she wasn't any trouble for you."

Gaara stared blankly at Naruto's cheerful face, formulating his response. The kunoichi had driven him nearly to madness, and for the first month he would happily have strangled her. For the second part of the journey, his regard for her had morphed into something _else_ entirely, unexpected by him, and it seemed, her. "She was no trouble," he grated. Naruto caught a hint of something unfamiliar in his friend's seemingly curt response and puzzled at it.

"I really want to thank you for the message you sent to the council. Um, you should have seen their faces. I'm grateful that you'd do something like that to help me save Karin-chan. They were ready to write her off."

"I meant every word," Gaara stated, forbearing to mention that he hadn't done it for Naruto. Naruto blinked and studied his old friend's face for any sign of a tell that Gaara was joking with him, despite the fact that Gaara almost never joked. There was none. Gaara was expressionless. Realization slowly sunk in to Naruto, who suddenly grasped the unthinkable.

"Gaara," Naruto said, voice low, incredulous. "Don't tell me… you and _Karin-chan_?!"

Gaara turned _bright red_ , gaze sliding away to the wall. Naruto saw Gaara's reaction and lost it _completely_ , howling with gales of laughter, eyes tearing up with hilarity.

"Is it _that funny_?" Gaara asked in wounded embarrassment, face burning.

"No, no," Naruto wheezed, barely getting control of himself. "It's just…on the list of unexpected things in the world, that's got to be somewhere near the _top_. Like, way out of left field. I'm frankly surprised you didn't kill her."

"I wanted to. Several times," Gaara admitted after a moment, under his breath, and Naruto whooped with laughter.

"Well," the blond said after he finally stopped laughing, "Thanks for bringing her back intact, anyway…" And then Naruto lost it again when Gaara flushed even brighter when he said 'intact'.

"Ok, ok," Naruto groaned, voice muffled from burying his face in his paperwork to stifle the laughter. He looked up, eyes bright. "I'm _sorry_ , Gaara. Like I said, it's unexpected."

Gaara gave a wordless nod of acceptance, still not meeting Naruto's eyes.

"And sorry to bring it back to business, but we've got to decide what to do with the Amegakure brat."

Gaara paused a moment, then nodded again.

"And I really want to hear the _whole story_ , what happened after you vanished. Can you stay for supper?"

"I've got to get back to my village," Gaara muttered.

"Lunch, then?"

The redhead hesitated, and then nodded again.

"Great! Ichiraku Ramen?"

Gaara sighed, finally meeting Naruto's eyes again. "Whatever," he agreed.

So, over bowls of ramen with Naruto, gourd resting on the dirt beside his stool, Gaara related the tale, from the morning they woke up on the mountainside until he sent the Anbu back to Konoha with his message, leaving out as much detail as he could regarding his intimate relationship with Karin, and holding back almost nothing of the rest of it, despite Naruto's occasional prod for the juicy details.

"Oh, wow, Gaara, that's quite the adventure. Himes, bandits, crazy jungle people, attack squads, foreign lords, _getting arrested_ , pirates, and—," Naruto interrupted himself with a stifled _snrk_ , "— _Karin-chan_ … you've been through a lot these last two months, haven't you?"

Gaara sighed, blushing a little when Naruto mentioned Karin, and nodded.

Whatever else Naruto had been about to say got lost as Kankurō, who had woken to the news of his brother's arrival and had frantically searched the town for him, spotted them and shouted out, " _Oi, otōto!_ There you are!" waving frantically to get Gaara's attention. Gaara and Naruto turned from the bar at Ichiraku Ramen to see the cat-hooded, face-painted Suna nin charge up to them.

"Gaara, you're safe!" In a rare expressive moment, Kankurō grabbed his little brother in a hug.

"Yes," Gaara confirmed, as his brother's eyes flicked over him appraisingly, looking for signs of damage. Of course, there weren't any.

"We were all concerned when you disappeared with that kunoichi," Kankurō started, slightly confused at the flicker that crossed Gaara's face at the mention of 'that kunoichi', "and I'm _so glad_ to see you _ok_ , Gaara."

Gaara grunted. "Where's Temari?" he asked. Usually, if there was _any excuse whatsoever_ to go to Konoha, his big sister was the first to seize on it.

"I think they had an argument," Kankurō said, and there was no need to specify who 'they' were… the relationship between Temari and the Nara heir was famous. "When the bird came, she told me to come meet you and said she'd be babying your cacti for you."

Gaara nodded, relieved that at least _someone_ was considering his precious little darlings. "Is the village alright? Was the aquifer…?"

"Oh, _that_? False alarm. One of the instruments failed and tripped the alarm, it was just faulty. Everything has been fine in the village, Temari and I have been handling it." Kankurō supplied. Gaara nodded again, once more relieved.

"Well," Kankurō said after a moment. "We should probably get on the road, it's a long journey home."

Gaara nodded. "I need to do something first," he said. "There's that Amegakure gaki."

"Oh, and I've still got some of your sand," Naruto interjected. Gaara gave an acknowledging nod. Naruto led them into the Hokage tower, where strips of paper inked with 'off limits!' and covered with seals barred a janitorial closet. The blond Hokage made the jutsu to release the seals. The paper fluttered to the ground. Inside the door, several buckets were filled with sand.

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Thank you," he said, sincerely, and popped the cork of his gourd, calling the lost portion back inside. He was touched. This was his special sand. Not everyone would take that level of care with it.

"No problem," Naruto replied.

Down in the prison cells, the Amegakure genin sat on his shitty little bed, utterly bored and utterly miserable. The sound of the door to the corridor opening grabbed his attention. It wasn't mealtime. Three pairs of footsteps, utterly unfamiliar, echoed down the hall. He looked up, doing a double take as the stone-faced Kazekage, flanked by his scary-faced brother and the Hokage, stopped in front of his cell.

Gaara silently studied the kid, fear patently stamped on his young features, for a long moment. This kid's lack of brains and impulsive actions had caused a _lot_ of trouble. He'd made an unprovoked attack on a foreign leader at a diplomatic function. Gaara would be well within his rights to demand a lot of punishments, some of them quite harsh.

But, if the little shit hadn't done what he'd done, Gaara realized he could have quite likely gone his _entire life_ without ever discovering Karin. As the Kazekage, she wasn't exactly in his social circles. And _that_ would have been an utter shame.

The genin stared at Gaara, practically shaking in fear, as the silence grew long. Then the Kazekage spoke. "Two years. Then you can take the chūnin exams again." One year for each month he'd been away from home.

The kid just about fainted.

"That's _it_? Ok, if you're sure…?" Naruto asked. Gaara's curt nod answered him. "Ok. Two years ban from the chūnin exams. I hope you've learned your lesson, gaki."

The Amegakure genin fully realized that he'd gotten off far lighter than he deserved. He threw himself to the floor of the cell, forehead pressed against the ground, declaring his abject thanks and swearing to never do anything wrong again.

Gaara ignored him, turning away from the cell. "Let's go home," he said to his brother, as they exited the prison. Kankurō nodded.

They said their farewells to Naruto, and Gaara even answered the blond Hokage's goodbye hug with a companionable back-slap. It was well known in both Suna and Konaha that the two young Kage had been close friends for years. They'd both learned to tolerate and even expect a certain amount of expressiveness in one another. Gaara and Kankurō matched Naruto's wave, and turned and headed for the trail back to Suna in the afternoon sun.

* * *

Back in Karin's little apartment, two months of dust and neglect were piled up, staring back at her as she surveyed the premises. There was an unpleasant smell of something gone rotten somewhere in the kitchen. Dust floated on the sunbeams that leaked through the slats of her window coverings. It was altogether a lonely, depressing sight (and smell), and she was going to be stuck here alone for the next two months. She sighed. It beat execution, but still.

Pulling up her sleeves, she got to work, opening the blinds and the windows to air out the stink, digging through the kitchen to quickly identify and discover and eradicate the source of the smell (two-month old leftovers in the fridge, dirty dishes in the sink), and began cleaning. After an hour, the place was almost livable again. She did laundry, changed into something comfortable and utterly boring, made her bed, and organized the untidy collection of magazines scattered on her chabu-dai. She organized her perfume collection, adding her new acquisitions, and used some of it to freshen up the premises.

Outside, she knew, her apartment would be under 24-7 watch. The ever-lackadaisical Kakashi had explained the terms to her on the way back. It was much the same as the first time. If she left her apartment unescorted by a designated guard, she would be immediately arrested. If she tried to remove the chakra bracelets or tamper with them in any way, an alarm would sound and she'd be immediately arrested. No alcohol, no other intoxicants, and nothing besides medic-prescribed treatments would be permitted – and the bracelets would tattle. Tea and coffee were ok, thankfully. She was allowed to have guests, but she couldn't leave her apartment without an escort. An escort would be provided to take her to the market for groceries, but she was not permitted to eat out or linger in public.

There was nothing in the house to eat except for a bag of plain white rice and some instant ramen. She was wondering if she should request an escort to the market to get some groceries when someone knocked on her door. She peered through the peephole, seeing the familiar faces of Sakura, Ino, and Hinata, laden with steaming bags of food.

"Hi Karin, we heard you were back!" Ino's voice penetrated the door.

"We brought take-out!" Hinata's declared, her voice hardly carrying through the wood.

"No sake, though, the guard wouldn't let us." Sakura laughed.

Karin opened the door, letting her friends in. The sounds of the laughter and conversation of the kunoichi filled the apartment, as they spread out the food on her chabu-dai and she made tea for everyone. They all gathered around the low table, eating and talking.

"Karin, it's so good to see you back, we were worried," Ino said, between handfuls of cherry tomatoes from the package she had brought.

"You were gone a really long time. You're going to have to tell us all about it." Sakura grinned at her.

"Yeah, we want to hear the story. Were you there when Gaara gave his message to the Anbu? I wish I could have seen my father's _face_ when it was delivered," Hinata said.

Karin flushed. Yes, she had definitely been there when Gaara had sent the Anbu away with the 'message'. "Uhh, yeah, I was there," she admitted, surprised that rumour had travelled to everyone. Then again, why would that be surprising? He'd been ready to declare a war to get the council to back off, that would cause talk.

"Tell us all about it," Ino demanded.

So Karin started the story, starting from waking up with Gaara and his gourd trapping her. She left out a great deal of detail – all the parts about the relationship that had developed, in fact.

Sharp-minded Sakura, a genius in her own right, picked up on the fact that Karin was omitting parts of the adventure. She figured out what Karin had left unspoken and grinned, grabbing the other kunoichi by the arms and leaning forward, her face inches from Karin's, interrupting the tale. " _Karin_ ," Sakura grinned wildly, saying her friend's name with mischievous accusation, "You and _Gaara-kun_?!"

Karin turned as red as her hair, and her friends erupted into gasps and laughter, hands covering their mouths, and making appropriately shocked, teasing exclamations.

"Well, now we know he isn't gay," Sakura laughed. She could be so familiar – he'd been a friend since she had helped bring him back to life five years ago.

"How the hell did _that_ happen?" Ino pressed, once they'd gotten themselves under control. She grinned, mock-threateningly. "Remember, I'm a Yamanaka, I'll have the answer out of you if you don't tell us."

"Karin, you _have_ to tell us," Hinata chimed in.

"Well, for the first month I wanted to kill him half the time," Karin began. The fact that such an act would be unlikely, if not impossible, was not the point. The sentiment was. "He was just so… infuriatingly smug, arrogant…" She went on in that vein until she ran out of adjectives. "…frustratingly _sexy_!" The girls erupted into laughter.

It was very late by the time Karin had related the whole story. She had managed to leave out parts of it, bowdlerizing her relationship with Gaara. There were things they didn't need to know, after all, and some of it _she_ wasn't even sure _she_ understood. Like what went on in the cave. She'd left it at 'we got into an argument and then had crazy sex on the floor', which had them howling with laughter.

They finally exited for the night after letting her know what had gone on in Konoha in her absence (not much, things were much quieter in the years since all _that weird shit_ with the tailed beasts and Kaguya had gone down), and left her with all the leftover food. In the calm after the storm, Karin cleaned quietly, thankful for both her friends and the food. Then she stood in the middle of her lonely living room and looked out over her balcony, wondering how far Gaara had gotten on his way home. She closed the blinds and headed for her empty bed, trying not to miss him.


	14. Chapter 13 - If you're going to drop a bombshell, always make sure the fallout is spectacular

The two brothers from Suna's ruling family camped by a stream that night, fish roasting on sticks, beds unrolled under the starry sky. At Kankurō's insistence, Gaara related a highly edited version of his adventures to his brother, carefully omitting anything involving his relationship with Karin. Thankfully, Kankurō hadn't probed further. Gaara realized he was probably going to have to repeat the account several more times once he got back home, and hoped his astute big sister wouldn't figure it out and react like Naruto had.

They ate their fish and sat across the fire from each other, enjoying the silence. Kankurō was whittling on a piece of wood, creating something no doubt destined for one of his puppets. Gaara was thinking in silence. Evening had come and he had already begun to miss having Karin in his bed. He missed the softness of her hair, and the feel of her body underneath him, her heat and slick wetness, the sound of her voice in passion, her scent, her _taste_ … Not having her there at _all_ was somewhat easier to endure than the ship, where she had been there but he'd been _unable to do anything about it_. That had been pure torture. But he could _still_ smell traces of her in his bedroll, and this was slowly aggravating him.

Kankurō looked up at his little brother's frustrated sigh, but Gaara stared off into the flames and ignored him. He turned back to his whittling. This was going to form the basis for delicate wooden 'wristbones' in a fully articulated puppet hand.

"Kankurō…"

The elder sand brother looked up again at the hint of hurt accusation in his brother's tone. Gaara was still staring into the fire.

"You didn't _tell_ me how good a woman could smell. Or taste."

Kankurō choked, goggling at his younger brother, realizing what such a question probably indicated.

Almost all people have a sense that they favour above others. Sure, Kankurō liked how girls smelled, of course he _loved_ the feel of making love to them, and yeah, he'd gone down on his share of women. But the sense that got Kankurō started – the beginning of all his attractions, was sight. As such, he'd favoured that sense when talking about girls to his little brother, focusing on their looks more than anything else.

Gaara, however, was cut from a different cloth. Looks were of only peripheral importance to him. Which may have been part of the reason why it had taken until this point for the fire of _interest_ to finally wake up in him.

" _Gaara_ ," Kankurō sniggered, grinning. "Who was it? No, wait… was it that kunoichi girl you got stranded with?" Silence greeted him, but Kankurō was used to his brother's silences and was fairly adept at reading them. The older Sand brother started laughing, enjoying his little brother's discomfiture. "So the redheaded spitfire finally deflowered the great Kazekage? How was it, Gaara?"

Gaara burned with mortified fury, tight lipped and resolutely glaring at the fire. Kankurō howled with laughter, almost falling off the log he was sitting on. It was a testament to the humanizing process that Gaara had undergone since the botched invasion of Konoha seven years ago that he endured his brother's mirth in embarrassed silence rather than homicidal rage. Their familial love for each other had grown to the point where he never even thought of killing his siblings anymore.

"Oh, otōto," his brother gasped, recovering. "I'm glad you finally took my advice and got laid."

"… You still haven't answered my questions!" Gaara muttered.

"Ha," Kankurō barked. "That's because I never even thought of it. Don't worry, little brother, I wasn't intentionally holding back vital operational details from you."

In response, Gaara glowered at the campfire, and Kankurō tried not to laugh again. Oh man, when he got back to Suna, he was going to be rich.

* * *

One afternoon later, across from Karin at her chabu-dai, Genma sprawled, sipping the tea she'd given him, idly chewing on the senbon that was never far from his mouth as they gossiped. He was ostensibly assigned as her guard today, but that hadn't stopped him from coming in for a visit, bringing okonomiyaki for lunch.

Despite, or maybe because of their brief fling two years ago, he had remained a friend. Somehow, Genma was friends with almost all his former flings. They never lasted long, and the women involved always remained on good terms with him afterwards. He was incredibly unpossessive, and rarely stuck with the same girl (or guy, for that matter – it had happened once or twice) for more than a week or two. Genma's modus operandi was zero-strings-attached, lightning-strike-affairs followed by easy, relaxed friendships.

The older jōnin had already begged her to tell him the story of her inadvertent adventure with the Kazekage. She'd given him the pared-down version. He'd clearly found the whole situation amusing.

"Sounds like you had a real wild time of it, Karin-chan," he commented. He grinned, impish, and met her eyes. "So, is there any truth to the rumours?"

"What rumours?" she replied, confused. There were always rumours in Konoha, but she'd like to know what the ones concerning _her_ were.

"Oh, you know," he smirked, transferring the senbon to the other side of his mouth. "The ones about you… and the _Kazekage_."

Karin felt the blood drain from her face, before flooding back with a fiery vengeance. Who the hell told Genma? Was it Ino? Sakura? Probably not Hinata…

Genma was laughing at her reaction. "Ahaha, I see it's true," he laughed. "Kakashi-san was right."

" _Kakashi_?" Karin echoed, stumped. How the hell had _he_ known?!

Genma snorted. "I'm never betting against that man," he laughed. "He knows everything that goes on here." He didn't mention the high-stakes betting pool Kakashi had started on the sly. He had already decided it was probably not wise to participate.

Karin grit her teeth, vexed. Genma saw her face and laughed again.

* * *

When Kankurō and Gaara returned Sunagakure, the elder sand brother quietly went about the business of collecting on the very secretive, but lucrative pot that had been furtively running, speculating on the Kazekage's sexual orientation. As his little brother returned to his duties, ensuring that the village had indeed been safe, sound and secure in his absence, Kankurō was grinning ear to ear, counting his ryo.

Temari knocked on his door, and he opened it with a chakra string, recognizing his sister's chakra outside the door. She was grinning wickedly. The grin widened when she spotted the wad of cash in his hands.

"Bet on heterosexual too, did you?" she asked.

"Yup," Kankurō smirked. Word travelled _fast_. He knew Temari hadn't even had a chance to meet with Gaara yet. The bookie must have tracked her down and paid her immediately after Kankurō had collected.

"There's gonna be a lot of sore pockets in Suna tonight."

He snorted in response.

"How's he doing?" Temari asked.

"Why don't you go check on him yourself?"

"Well, I wanted to see how much you lost, first, but I see you won too," Temari admitted. She couldn't wait to get to Konoha and make Shikamaru pay up.

Kankurō laughed. "Go talk to our little brother. I'm going to start another pool. Don't bet against me."

"Another?" Temari asked. Kankurō just grinned.

* * *

He sat at the familiar desk, looking over the familiar surface of precious, imported hardwood. It was fairly clean – the ink tightly capped, the pen cleaned and positioned carefully, the stacks of papers neatly separated into in/out/hold, no dust or crumbs or debris anywhere. Temari had done a good job in his absence, which was why she was his heir designate if something should happen to him. At least, until he gave her away to the Nara.

Or, could make one of his own.

He sighed, lifting a cup of tea to his lips.

There was a knock at his door. His sister. "Come in, Temari," he answered, tea still in hand.

His sister waltzed in with a big grin that spelled trouble. "So glad you have you home safe, otōto. We've missed you." That part was genuine – she was seriously relieved to have him back. The grin widened. "So, who's the girl?"

He dropped the tea, spilling it over by accident and scrambled frantically to save everything and mop up the mess. Temari snickered and helped, rescuing the paper stacks before they could come to harm. She pulled open a drawer he had thought he'd left empty, yanked out a stack of take-out napkins and started wiping up the spill. He would deal with the question of why Temari had filled his drawer with take-out napkins later. She shouldn't be eating so much take-out, it was unhealthy.

"What did Kankurō tell you?" he seethed, once they had gotten it under control.

She laughed. "You're dodging the question, otōto."

So was she, but he knew damn well he'd never get it out of her when she was in that kind of mood.

"You know I need to know these things, little brother. I need to know who to go after if she breaks your heart," she grinned, predatorily.

Gaara sighed, rubbing the spot between his eyebrows. Temari was like a dog on a bone with things like this. He had no hope. She was eventually going to force him to tell it all, anyway. So he told her the whole story as Temari poured them both new tea and sat on the corner of his desk. He left out some stuff, of course – there were things he wasn't willing to share, even with his own siblings. The cave, for one. He did not want to admit that he'd lost control.

"Seems like you like her," Temari commented when he finished relating the happenings. He sighed again, and gave a short nod. Like Kankurō, she was adept at reading Gaara's unspoken signals. The elder siblings' survival had depended on it at first, but as the years went on and Gaara opened up to his family, it was their love and concern for him that kept the sense honed. "You're pretty serious about this."

Again, another curt nod, avoiding her gaze.

"If she hurts you, otōto, I _will_ kill her."

He met his sister's eyes briefly. She was dead serious. He paused again and nodded. She reached out and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"What are you going to do now?" Temari asked.

"I don't know," he said, quietly.

"Well, you know Kankurō and I have your back, no matter what, right?" she asked.

He nodded. She gave him a pat on the shoulder and rose to leave.

"Temari?" he said, again not looking at her. She stopped and turned to him, acknowledging his questioning voice. "Thanks for taking care of my cacti, and holding things down while I was gone."

"No problem, otōto," she smiled at him. "Talk to you in the morning."

He nodded, and she left.

* * *

"You're right," Temari snorted, leaning on Kankurō's wall. "He's completely head-over-heels. There's no way I'm betting against you on this one."

Kankurō grinned.

"I _will_ take you on how long it's going to take before he tries to push this one on the council," she said. "I _won't_ take you on whether or not he'll succeed."

"You're on," laughed the middle sibling.

* * *

In the days that followed, Gaara, who was normally taciturn at the best of times, grew more and more grumpy as his frustration mounted. At night, he was tormented by dreams of her. During the day, he missed her more and more. Seeing his little brother's foul mood, Kankurō teased him about needing to get laid, and offered to send for the Konoha kunoichi on diplomatic dispatch.

"She's under house arrest," Gaara grumped, giving his brother a glare that could stop a charging rhino. Kankurō laughed.

However, Gaara was not the Kazekage for no reason. He was cuttingly intelligent and a master of both strategy and tactics, and employed the use of both in formulating his plan. As he went about his daily business, he silently planned, mapping out the potential obstacles to his will and methodically decided how to best overcome them. He wondered what Shukaku would have said about any of this, and decided the answer would have probably been 'go for it, brat'.

After he had been back for two weeks, he judged himself ready. He called for his council. He sat at the head of the huge table, Temari and Kankurō flanking him, his old sensei Baki a comforting presence nearby, and clasped his hands in front of him.

"I wish to marry," he stated, bluntly.

The atmosphere in the council room instantly turned avid, as most of the councillors – all powerful members of Suna's shinobi community and mostly the heads of major shinobi houses – all considered how they could best leverage their own candidates for the Kazekage's hand.

"This is very good news, Kazekage-sama," one of the more ambitious ones said. "We are very glad to hear that you've finally seen reason. There are many fine candidates in the village, including my—,"

"No," Gaara interrupted him, ruthlessly suppressing the vicious grin that was threatening to show up on his face. "I've already made my mind." And he told them.

Sunagakure's council lost its collective shit.

Kankurō and Temari smirked at each other behind their brother's back. The middle sand sibling might owe his big sister a little cash after the meeting, but both of them were more than pleased.

Hours later, Gaara walked back to his desk with a light step, an easy heart, and a smirk of triumph, to pen a letter to Naruto. To quell the inevitable rumour mill, he had bound the council to silence until the negotiations were complete.

It had taken all of his careful plans and strategies, but he'd finally gotten his way.

* * *

A day later, Naruto tapped the scroll out of the message tube from Sunagakure and read the missive.

"I don't believe it," the Hokage said. Though, in actuality, he did indeed believe it. He had been wondering if something like this would arrive at some point. He looked up, called for Kakashi. "Call the council," Naruto said. "We've got something important here."

When the council had gathered, Naruto faced them, rising, hands clasped behind his back, cheerful grin on his Kurama-marked face, and told them of Gaara's proposal.

Uproar.

Kakashi leaned back in his chair and smirked behind his mask, humming tunelessly, and mentally counting the ryo, glad he'd already closed the books. He had been Naruto's aide since the accession of the young man to the position of Hokage. During the chaos of three years ago, Kakashi had even _briefly_ been stuck with the job himself, until he managed to have Tsunade tracked down and shoved back into the position. He was _more than happy_ to let Naruto be Hokage. He'd hated every fucking _minute_ of the job. However, being Naruto's aide suited him _just_ fine. If the occasional 'Kakashi-sensei' slipped from his former student, he didn't really mind. As an aide to the Hokage, he got all the fun, and none of the headaches. Like right now.

Some time later, Naruto stalked back to his desk with a huge grin, ready to pen a response to his friend. He, too, had shackled the rumour mill, for much the same reasons.

In the last two years, Naruto had become quite adept at ramming all kinds of shit down the throats of the recalcitrant hidebound reprobates he called a council.

* * *

In the meantime, Karin served out her sentence peaceably, passing boring day after grinding, boring day and night after night tormented by dreams of him, completely unaware of the furor storming over her.

* * *

The sand siblings rolled into town the morning before Naruto and Hinata's upcoming nuptials. Gaara headed straight for Naruto's office. Temari wasted no time in hunting for her quarry. Kankurō, the odd man out, shrugged and went to see if he could find a 'friend' he'd been banging on and off for the last year.

Together, the two Kage reviewed the contract that had been painstakingly negotiated over the last month and a half. Seeing that everything was in order, they stamped both copies. They stood up and shook each other's hands.

"Yosh!" Naruto declared. Gaara grinned. They sat back down.

They sat in silence for a moment. Then Naruto looked up at his friend, eyes suddenly serious. "Gaara," he said. "Take care of her, will you? She's an Uzumaki."

"Uzu— _maki_?" Gaara repeated, surprised. "That's _your_ clan, isn't it?"

"My mother's," Naruto confirmed. "Someone did some digging through musty old genealogies when your proposal came in, and found something tracing her mother back to the Uzushiogakure massacre. She's an Uzumaki, just like me. The council nearly had a fit when it came out, and I basically had to put my foot down and ram this through. They wanted to keep the bloodline in Konoha, of course. They are exceptionally diligent when it comes to finding reasons to ruin other people's lives."

Gaara wished he'd known she was an Uzumaki when he'd first told his own council. It would have given him a bit more ammunition. "I'll take care of her," he promised. He meant it. This might just make her Naruto's _only_ living relative.

"So, when will the wedding be?" Now that all the agreements were in place, they could talk dates.

"Probably right after the chūnin exams," Gaara mused. It would give her enough time to settle a little bit in Suna, first.

"Then I'll definitely be there!" Naruto grinned. They moved on to other Kage business, now that the _important_ matters had been cleared up.

* * *

The day before Naruto and Hinata's wedding, Karin received a pleasant surprise. Somehow, her sentence had been judged complete a full day early, and she had been released. She gleefully handed over the bracelets and ecstatically endured the removal of the curse seal (not as painful going out as it was getting it), and then went _straight_ to her favourite okonomiyaki spot. She was nursing a huge mug of something hot, caffeinated, and alcohol-filled when another body slid into the seat across the table from her.

"So, I heard _you're_ the one who popped my little brother's cherry," the other woman said, her tone somehow both cheerful and deadly.

Karin started, somehow managing not to drop her drink. She put the mug on the table with a thump, giving the Suna kunoichi a startled look. Karin had been aware the moment Gaara had gotten within a certain range of the village, of course. And wherever Gaara went, Kankurō and Temari weren't far behind. So Temari's presence in Konoha wasn't a surprise. Just her presence in Karin's booth.

"What?" asked the redhead, confused.

Temari grinned at her, the smile predatory. So _this_ was the kunoichi that had gotten Gaara all tied up in knots. Her teal eyes sparkled with mischief and menace. "We heard _alllll_ about it," she purred, and then continued in a low, menacing tone, " _if you hurt my brother, I'm going to hang you with your own intestines_."

Temari had not been surprised in the least when Gaara had steamrolled his will through the council on this matter. She had always known that when her intense baby brother finally fell, he would fall _hard_. Her little brother was a _late bloomer_ , and she had long suspected that when he discovered the great mystery of life, it would be _spectacular_. She just hoped this kunoichi was worthy. Because if Karin wasn't… Temari _never_ wanted to see the fallout of Gaara getting his heart broken.

Karin blinked at her, trying to process. This was Temari… Gaara's big sister. Ok. Got that part. Temari had just claimed that she'd … popped…

" _What_?!" Karin gaped at the other woman.

Temari scowled. Was Karin fucking with her? "You heard me."

"No, not that," Karin said, "you said I popped…" she sniggered. "You have _got_ to be joking." Oh man, that explained so many _things_. Like his little freak out in the cave – no wonder Gaara had gotten weird, if _that_ was his first crack at sex. She busted out laughing, covering her mouth with her hands.

Temari blinked. "He didn't tell you, huh? Hmph, men." Her voice had softened somewhat. "But I'm _still_ going to kill you if you hurt him."

"I don't think you'll have to worry," the red-haired Kunoichi promised. Why would Temari be worried about that? She hadn't heard a thing from Gaara in the two months since she'd been home and honestly hadn't expected to – hawkmail wasn't exactly _there_ for personal correspondence. Whatever they'd shared on the road, he was the Kazekage of Suna, and she was just a barely-tolerated reformed criminal transplant – _literally_ Konoha's redheaded stepchild. Yeah, she missed him, _dreamed_ of him even… but she was under no illusions.

"Ever been to the desert?" Temari asked, changing the subject.

"No," Karin said. Was the other woman just making small talk?

"Sunburn easily?"

"Despite the hair, nope."

"Great, you'll do fine," Temari said, cryptically. "It's actually a very beautiful place, you know."

"Why are you asking?" Karin asked, confused. What did Temari mean, 'you'll do fine'? None of this was making any sense.

"Wait, have you talked to Gaara lately?" Temari asked, smirking. Oh Kami, please don't tell her that her ridiculous little brother had neglected to inform _Karin_. What a hilarious idea. Temari's eyes lit up mischievously.

"What are you talking about? I haven't seen him since we got back to Konoha two months ago."

Temari covered her mouth to stifle the snigger. "Nothing. You should probably talk to my foolish little brother about that." She slid from the seat, deciding to leave Gaara to his own fate. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Karin. See ya 'round, I've got a deer to hunt down. He owes me for a bet." Time to go find Shikamaru and collect.

Karin blinked, watching the retreating form of the other kunoichi. What the hell was that all about? She sighed. Thinking of Gaara had killed her mood. It was high time to get in a little retail therapy to raise that mood again. She needed an outfit for tomorrow, something formal. She had enough money – she still had plenty left after returning from the empire. Can't spend much money when you can't get out of the house, after all.

At least that fucking curse seal was _finally_ gone. Now she could attempt to go back to a normal life. Whatever _that_ was.


	15. Chapter 14 – First comes the marriage contract, then comes … no wait, that's backwards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of the regular story, then the epilogue. There are lemons in this chapter. Use ~beginlemonone~ and ~endlemonone~ as navigational marks.
> 
> I don't often make musical recommendations in my fictions since music is such a subjective thing, but three songs stand out to me as helping capture some of the essence of this chapter. Should you decide to check them out, these are the songs I recommend as accompaniment to this chapter.
> 
> System of a Down - Aerials  
> Reuben and the Dark - Rolling Stone  
> Ozzy Ozbourne - I Just Want You

He had flagged down Sakura, who had obligingly given him Karin's address with a knowing smirk and suggestive wink. A fourth-floor balcony suite wasn't a huge deal to get into when one could ride on sand, and then use said sand to safely trigger the trap and pick the lock. Gaara stepped into the apartment and closed his eyes, inhaling the familiar scent. Yep, this was the right place.

He closed the balcony doors behind him, flipping the latch shut. He shuffled off his boots, politely. The light switch was in a predictable spot. Light flooded the little apartment, and he took a look around the main room.

It was a modest little apartment – nothing to get too excited about, affordable and in a decent area. Not a lot of space, but enough for a bedroom, a bathroom, a cramped galley kitchen, and a small common area with barely enough room for a kata workout. It was decorated sparsely, with a few generic paintings on the wall that had probably come with the place – they had that kind of look to them. Her fragrance collection was lined up on a shelf on the wall of her bedroom, smelling nice. In the common room, there was a bookcase with a collection of reference tomes, scrolls, weaponry and other implements of their trade. In the centre of the living room there was a chabu-dai table, currently covered with scattered magazines with titles like _Kunoichi Weekly_ , _Better Arms and Armaments_ , and _Shinobi World_.

He thought he recognised one of the covers and pushed through the pile briefly, exposing an old copy of _Kunoichi Weekly_ from more than a year ago. His own face glared out from the glossy cover, the Gaara in the picture glowering with arms crossed in front of him and gourd prominent on his back. The caption underneath read " _Sabaku no Gaara, Wind Country's Most Eligible Bachelor_ ", alongside sidebar article titles promising to teach kunoichi all kinds of dirty tricks in the seduction trade. Gaara snorted. He'd remembered Kankurō pressuring him to participate in that stupid photo shoot and interview.

Well, he might as well get comfortable. She would come back eventually, wherever she was now. He slung off the gourd and put his travelling packs out of the way, settled down at the low table, and reached for a magazine to pass the time.

Karin had sensed his chakra before she even came home, of course. She'd been aware he was somewhere near her house for a while, but hadn't the slightest clue what he was doing. Maybe he was meeting with someone? Some of her neighbours were pretty important people in the village. When she realized that the blazing chakra signature was coming from inside her _own_ building, she wondered what the hell he was doing there. The sun had already gone down, but maybe it was important business.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open, entering her apartment. He was sitting at the chabu-dai, leaning against his gourd and idly thumbing through a two-year old copy of _Better Arms and Armaments_. He looked up at her and smirked.

"Ga-Kazekage-sama. What are you doing here?" she asked, dumping her shopping bags near the entrance to the apartment. He wrinkled his brow at the unexpected formal address, and stood up.

"Waiting for _you_ to get home, of course," he replied. His eyes flicked around the apartment. "Not a bad place. I don't think it will be too much trouble to move all this to Suna."

She blinked. Had the whole world gone mad? "What?"

He stared at her, not sure why she seemed so confused. Then he reached into his flak jacket and pulled out the contract. "It's all here, all in order," he said, handing it to her.

Wordlessly, Karin took the scroll and opened it, scanning the contents. Gaara watched her read, slightly puzzled at the shock on her face, and then growing more and more alarmed as that shock segued to anger flickering in her red eyes and the tightness of her mouth. She got part way through and then looked up at him, rage shining behind the lenses of her glasses.

"I. Am. _Not_. _Some. Kind. Of._ _ **Thing**_ _!_ _ **For. You. To.**_ _ **Buy. And. SELL!**_ " she roared, throwing the contract at his feet. He stood there, stunned with confusion, as she turned and bolted out the door.

Gaara stared after her, wondering what the fuck had just happened. That was _not_ the reaction he was expecting, not by any means. He hadn't been expecting her to throw herself into his arms – ok, maybe he'd been hoping – but he'd definitely expected a more… positive reception. He picked up the contract, stuffing it gently back into his jacket. Then, it occurred to him. He hadn't had a chance to speak with her directly – with her under house arrest and him tied up with his Kazekage duties, that had been damn near impossible. Could it be that Naruto hadn't _told her_? Impossible as that seemed… her reaction suggested it _might_ be the case.

His eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, shit," he said, and grabbed his boots, slung on his gourd, heading back out the balcony to search for her.

Karin ran, furious tears streaming from her eyes, straight for currently-deserted Konoha training grounds. It was a place where she'd always felt comfortable during her time in the village, and was usually empty this time of day, offering her a place to rage in private. She attacked the targets, angrily throwing sticks, stones, kunai, and anything at hand to vent her frustration. How fucking _dare_ they? Naruto and Gaara both, they were insufferable, egotistical assholes, _deciding_ _her_ _own life for her_ , behind her back, like she was their _possession_! They hadn't even _bothered_ to _tell her_ , let alone _ask_ what she might want! It was infuriating!

And she knew _damn_ well that the match was better than she'd ever have any reason to expect. He was the Kazekage of Suna, a shinobi with immense personal power and skill as a warrior, from a powerful family, with the status and rank to match. She was an accomplished kunoichi with considerable skills of her own – a former _S-rank_ criminal, to be sure… but she was still a former _criminal_ being rehabilitated by Konoha, and had little to no status at all. Most of the other hidden villages would cheerily execute her if they ever had the chance. A marriage to Gaara was _literally_ about the highest she could ever aim for in the world of shinobi. That such a thing would come to her like _this_ , it burned!

Worst of all, _worst of all,_ she liked him. The man she had started out resenting and loathing when they had first been forced to travel together in that weird empire had somehow morphed into someone she missed terribly, yearned for, and dreamed about each night. Somehow, she had come to _really like_ Gaara, and the intervening absence hadn't changed that any. If anything, the loss of him had only continued to smoulder within her for the last two months. It had stung, because she had convinced herself that there was no way it could ever happen. What they'd shared during their travels had to be a one-off. And _here he was_ , with a fucking _marriage contract_ in hand, written out by the councils of two villages, signed and agreed to by him and _Naruto_ , without her knowledge or consent. She wondered if he'd planned to pack _her_ in a box with the rest of her belongings and ship her off to Suna like a parcel.

Gaara charged through the streets, flagging down anyone he recognized to asked if they'd seen her go by. Eventually, he found someone who had – Rock Lee – who gestured towards the training grounds. Gaara murmured a quick thanks and barrelled off, leaving Lee blinking his outrageous eyes at the disappearing figure of the Kazekage. What a youthful leader for Suna! Truly, his energy was an inspiration, training with his allies at any time of the day or night.

Karin was so preoccupied with her tantrum that she didn't notice Gaara's chakra until he was almost on top of her. But when she _did_ react to the oncoming blaze by turning to bolt again, Gaara's reaction was faster. As was his sand. What seemed like a _tide_ of the gritty stuff washed over her, knocking her from her feet. It enveloped her, inescapable and inevitable, immobilizing her. There was no escape. She felt utterly helpless, defeated. It was all she could do to keep from crying.

" _Karin!_ " Gaara yelled, bringing her to the surface so she could breathe. He grabbed her roughly in an embrace, mashing her against his flak jacket. Her glasses pushed uncomfortably against her face. His sand encased them both, cutting off any chance of escape.

"Let me go, you bastard!" she protested, words distorted due to the squishing of her face against his chest, attempting somewhat futilely to thump against him with her fists.

"No!" he declared, holding her tighter. "Not until you hear me explain. Did you _not_ talk to Naruto at _all_ in the last month and a half?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a ragged breath. She tried to think. Of _course_ she'd met with Naruto, a couple of times. The Hokage had naturally wanted to keep tabs on his pet rehabilitation project. She vaguely recalled him telling her not to worry, he was getting the council in line and the contract would all be straightened out in time for his wedding… At the time she had thought he was talking about something to do with her punishment and freedom.

"That yellow-haired, oblivious, lackadaisical…" the invective went on, causing Gaara to choke on a slightly surprised laugh at her string of epithets concerning his colleague. At least it wasn't _him_ getting the tongue-lashing this time. "… careless, moronic _bastard_! He mentioned a _contract_ , but he _somehow forgot_ to mention it had anything to do with _you_!"

"I'm going to _kill_ him," Gaara murmured, voice dangerously pleasant.

"You and me, both!" Once again, it was the sentiment, not the feasibility of the statement that mattered.

Still holding her, Gaara made a few quick hand signs, and then let the sand recede back to his gourd. Karin blinked, realizing they were back in her apartment.

"Sand transport jutsu," he said, at her startled look, shuffling his boots off politely. She did the same. He still kept both arms firmly around her, in case she bolted again. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, lips brushing against the top of her hair. "Karin, I'm sorry," he said, genuinely. "I trusted Naruto to speak to you, I thought he'd asked you, obtained your consent. I wasn't able to leave Suna, and you were under house arrest. _I thought you knew_. I'm sorry. Look, if you _want_ ," his voice cracked with buried emotion on the last word, and he swallowed, trying again. Duty always came. Do the right thing – if this was not her wish. The words tumbled out in a low-voiced rush. "If you want, you can annul the contract – none of this will go through without your consent and the bloody councils will be only _too happy_ to declare this whole thing a farce—."

She thumped his flak jacket with her fists, successfully this time, interrupting him. "Shut up," she said, sniffing. He shut up. Her arms went around him. They stayed silent for a few moments.

He'd just put it back into _her_ court. She'd gone from feeling like chattel one moment, to having the power of decision-making firmly on her own shoulders. Gaara had been setting the wheels of this in motion since he'd left Konoha. For Karin, this was a _complete_ surprise. She needed to process. "I have to think about this, Gaara."

"Yeah," he said, quietly. "I can understand that. I'm not going to rush you. I'll tell Naruto not to make any announcements concerning us, tomorrow—." His voice cracked again. He struggled to bury the burgeoning worry. "I'd better not kill him on his wedding day."

Karin snorted.

He breathed in the scent from her hair, weaving his hands through the ends of her locks. Kami, she was intoxicating. He hoped she wouldn't… he felt an echo of the boy he'd been, rejected by his whole village, and tried to quell the rise of a crushing fear that he hadn't experienced for more than a decade.

The growing worry of rejection rived his psyche, straight to the long-walled-over cracks left behind at his uncle Yashamaru's betrayal and subsequent death at Gaara's hands. But, he felt compelled to expose himself anyway, on the hope that she might respond favourably. "Can... I stay the night?" he asked, hesitantly. He hadn't exactly made plans for lodging – he'd assumed he could stay here.

She could feel that the question cost him. His chakra was thrumming with something that she never thought to witness in the powerful, self-assured Kazekage of Suna. It was an echo of some long-ago trauma, and she wondered what could have caused that. With her face pressed against his chest, she could hear his heart thumping madly. But, he'd asked, so she gave her answer. "I doubt I could stop you if I tried," she said. It was true. If Gaara didn't want to go, there was nothing, absolutely _nothing_ , she could say or do to stop him. In the cave it had been hotter than the hells – she had been keyed up, sublimating her attraction with anger, and fucking horny. If he'd tried that now, when she felt so eviscerated by the events of the night, it wouldn't be… consensual.

"That's not what I _want_ ," he protested quietly into her hair.

"Then what do you want?"

" _Yooouu_ ," he breathed, his voice breaking on the word. He felt hot and cold inside at the same time. His reply was ragged, naked with fear, need, and exposed vulnerability. It ran up Karin's spine and shivered through her.

Hearing what was in his voice, feeling what was in his chakra, she remembered that night in the cave, admiring his flawless body. Scars were a way of life for shinobi. Gaara's sand diligently protected his skin from scars, but that didn't mean he had none. He wore his on the inside, instead. She shifted in his arms, leaning back in his grip and reaching up to touch his face with her own hands. His skin was so soft, buffed smooth by his sand. She gently pulled his head to hers and kissed him softly.

Always before when they had kissed it had been forceful and bruisingly passionate. He had usually been the one to initiate, though not always. It _had_ always been wild, uncontrolled, and _very_ hot. This time when they kissed it was gentle, hesitant. She led him in this, parting her lips to meet his, guiding him gently. He responded carefully, echoing her movements, yielding to her control. He made a high, desperate sound, his hands fisting convulsively in her hair.

Just as gently, she ended the kiss, pulling away from his arms. He let her go, afraid to hold on to her. As she stepped back, he watched her wordlessly, uncertain, still and silent save for the shaking he could not quite control, and the ragged catch of his breath. His face was expressionless, except for his eyes. His eyes were stricken, something very naked and vulnerable in their depths.

She walked over to the balcony, still open to the night, and closed it, flipping the latch with a click and re-arming the trap. Then, she turned to the door, also hanging open from her earlier flight, and closed and locked it. She reached over to the light switch. The room went dark, lit only by reflections of streetlights through her uncovered balcony windows. She could see the shine of the reflected lights off his eyes as he tracked her movement in the darkness.

He was so afraid to do anything, so afraid to react. His heart pounded and there was an ache in his chest that had nothing to do with physical pain. All he could do was stand there and watch her, frozen by his own uncertainty, his hands at his sides. When her hand found his, fingers twining together with his own, he closed his eyes, mouth open, afraid to breath. She squeezed his hand slightly, and then pulled him gently from where he was rooted, breathless. He tried not to stumble as she drew him along, through her living room, past the meaningless, generic 'art' on the walls, past the darkened galley kitchen, past the door to the bathroom and into her bedroom.

Once there, she let his hand go, tapping his harness straps. He let the gourd slide to the floor as she closed the door to her room. There was less light filtering through the slats of her blinds, but it was enough for them to watch each other in the darkness. She undid the buckles of his flak jacket, pushing it off him. His maroon traveling jacket followed. He let her remove his mesh shirt, moving no more than she indicated, and doing even that with jittery hesitation. At her skillful hands, his hakama pooled to the floor, followed by his fundoshi. He stood naked in her room, skin feeling like it was burning, trembling with desire and terror, not knowing what to do or say. She put her palm on his chest, pushing gently, guiding him backwards until his legs contacted the bed and he sat, breathless, looking up at her.

**~Beginlemonone~**

Silently, she undressed herself, feeling his eyes on her even in the darkness, feeling the hesitation and even fear in him. When she was as naked as he was, even her glasses on the little night table, she approached, her hands on his body directing him to lie down on her bed. She could feel the heat of his unscarred skin, his racing pulse, his heaving chest. She bent over him, kissing him tenderly once more, and leaned over him, hand sliding down his chest and abdomen to where his erect manhood throbbed. He gasped at her touch, panting, not daring to move.

She deftly slid on top of him, lithe athletic body making her movements sinuous and easy, straddling him. He held his breath, looking up at her looming over him, his fingers curling into the sheets of her bed. Her hands were on his chest and then she was taking him inside her, and he was gasping, open mouthed, chest heaving, lost in everything she did. His eyes closed, lashes fluttering shut over dark-rimmed lids.

She pulled his hands onto her toned thighs, and his fingers dug into her as Karin made love to Gaara in the darkness of her room, until they were both coming with full-throated cries of passion. Afterwards, as his breath came in short, stunned gasps, she shifted her sweat-drenched body to lay on the bed beside him, half covering him. Her hand once more twined with his. His other hand came up, tentatively, brushing through her hair to caress her face.

As their hearts and breathing steadied, they lay together in silence, neither shinobi yet able to talk. This wasn't like the other times, where their passion had been wild and uncontrolled – largely driven by Gaara. This time, he'd been paralyzed with the knowledge and dread that she could crush him utterly with a single 'no', desperately afraid that any move on his part would push her _to_ that. Instead, she'd _made love_ to him – it was the only term that fit. For all that it hadn't been an explosion of unrestrained sexual energy like before, it was still nevertheless an incredibly powerful experience for him.

For her, too, this had been an experience as intense in its own way as the powerful interactions on the road home. Gaara was as she had never seen him before, never even thought to see him – vulnerable, uncertain, and yielding. Ever since the onsen, she had noticed that he had sex with an unexpected honesty; what had occurred tonight between them was exponentially more _that_. Fuck her, what _was_ he to her? What was _she_ to _him_?

**~endlemonone~**

Gaara had been serious enough about her to essentially threaten to start a _war_ to save her life. He'd intimated that he had pushed this marriage contract through, over the will of two village councils, when he'd mentioned that she could annul it. She somehow doubted any of that had been on a _whim_. Gaara was in no way a _whimsical_ person. He did everything he did with devastating effectiveness – and when he wasn't screwing her brains out – relentless, methodical and ruthlessly intelligent control. The _only_ time she'd ever seen him lose control was in bed with her. He was apparently absolutely stone-cold _serious_ about this – no joke, no fucking around, no ifs, ands or buts. Any doubts over how _deep_ his regard for her ran had just been wiped away upon witnessing the chasm of vulnerability he had just exposed to her tonight.

Gaara had staked his entire _being_ on her. And he needed this to be mutual. She didn't _know_ what she wanted, how she was going to deal with this.

She mentally walked through the likely results of saying 'no'. Judging by the feel of his chakra and emotions, it would probably not go easily for Gaara. She briefly ran through several distinct possibilities, none of them pretty, ranging from murder juggernaut, 'no'-is-not-an-option forcefulness, and complete basket-case breakdown of his psyche. Any potential line that didn't end with him destroying her ended with Temari doing the deed for hurting her baby brother. Gaara seemed to be an on/off switch. There would be no letting him down _gently_.

Mentally, she flipped the scenario, examining the potential outcomes of 'yes'. There were the immediate social benefits, of course. Suna was a wealthy village now, and he was powerful and wealthy too. As the wife of the Kazekage, she might still have people trying to off her, but it would be for entirely different _reasons_ than what they might be currently. Her status as a former criminal might be forgotten, or even contribute to the already significant notoriety they both held in the shinobi community. Certain kinds of notoriety were _very useful_ , and this would likely be one of them. She would no longer skirt the edges of being a pariah.

It would all come from _him_ , though. The power, privilege, and societal regard would stem from her association with _him_ , rather than her _own_ prowess. That stung. Deep down inside (or maybe not that deep at all), Karin was a very proud woman. Second-hand accolades and power from association would probably not please her like it had when she had been part of Sasuke's team.

And, what about the personal consequences? He was handsome and devastatingly good in bed, yeah. There was definitely passion there – unlike she had ever experienced or anticipated in her life. He was also arrogant and imperious, used to giving orders and being obeyed, used to making decisions for others with or without consultation. He'd demonstrated that to her many times already and it had frustrated her to no end. But, he had also demonstrated concern for her wellbeing and the ability to consider her wants and needs, as he had when he'd taken her to the market so she could shop for perfumes. After their time at the onsen, his barbs and jabs had vanished almost completely. Come to think of it, if he'd been nursing a hard-on for her since almost the beginning, they could have been borne simply of sexual frustration. _Hers_ had definitely been influenced by that.

She considered if she could love him. It was possible, even likely, she decided, thinking of how she had lain awake, missing him, so many nights these last two months. By the time they had got back to Konoha, she'd come to actively enjoy his presence. She had _missed_ him acutely, and only the belief that nothing could come of it had her trying to forget.

It wasn't ideal. She would have liked more time, to have a choice that was actually a choice. She would have liked to be able to make a _true_ decision. She sighed.

In the long silence, Gaara grew steadily more worried. She hadn't said anything, or done anything, or made any indication at all of what she was thinking. Just because she'd brought him here, made love to him, didn't necessarily mean that she'd forgiven him, or accepted him. He realized he could not anticipate the choice she would make, and it froze him inside. At her quiet sigh, he tensed involuntarily.

She felt him stiffen, felt the anxiety flash through his chakra. She sighed again, and he near-panicked at the sound. So she ranged her hand over him, caressing his smooth, soft skin. "I missed you," she murmured.

He couldn't trust his voice. He swallowed. "I missed you, too," he choked, lowly.

She nestled closer, holding him. He ran another tentative hand through her hair. She could still feel his pulse racing.

She sighed. It was now very late, and tomorrow Naruto and Hinata would be married and the whole village would be turned out to celebrate. They should really get some sleep. Deal with this tomorrow. "It's late," she said.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked, voice a strained whisper.

She considered. "No, stay," she murmured softly. "Please…"

At her soft words, the tension ran out of him. He shifted, turning towards her, arms wrapping around her, suddenly emboldened enough to move to touch her, hold her, if only gently. Once more, he closed his eyes, face in her hair, breathing in her scent. They held each other in silence, until he thought she had drifted off to sleep. He caressed her hair. "I love you," he whispered in the darkness, to the sleeping kunoichi. Then he closed his eyes and followed her to sleep.

* * *

Karin woke first, to the familiar, sorely-missed feel of Gaara wrapped around her. She reached over him to retrieve her glasses so she could look at the clock. 7:00 am. Naruto and Hinata's ceremony would be this afternoon, underneath the Hokage rock.

She remembered the events of last night. She had been in a light sleep when Gaara had whispered his confession, but it had penetrated into her sleeping mind somehow. Karin thought she'd dreamt it. But she'd never dreamed of that before – she'd dreamt plenty of wild sex, and her subconscious had once or twice dredged up her anxieties and insecurities in the form nightmares of a cold-eyed dream-Gaara laughing at her for thinking she had a chance with a Kage – but she'd never dreamed of him saying he _loved_ her.

Was it possible? She recalled his intensity, the iron strength of his will, the way he relentlessly pushed past any obstacle to whatever it was he wanted at a given time. She recalled how he'd been, last night. She had sensed, through his chakra and reactions, that this went _very deep_ for him.

Yeah, Karin decided. It was entirely possible that Gaara did indeed love her. And, she reflected, it was entirely possible that she could feel the same.

Damnit, though, she would have preferred to have be able to make a _real_ decision, with proper time for psychological preparedness.

Consciousness began to slip back to Gaara, his chakra flickering and body stiffening slightly as the slackness of sleep vanished. He shifted, feeling the presence of Karin in his arms. His eyes flickered open. Yep, she was really there, it wasn't one of the dreams that had plagued him for the last two months. This was her room, redolent with her fragrance collection, and her own incredibly alluring scent. She hadn't sent him away.

"Gaara." Her voice cut through him. He met her eyes, not sure what to expect. "Do you love me?"

She felt the rapid flickering of reaction through his chakra. Wariness, uncertainty, fear, a stab of that soul-deep damage that he'd leaked last night, and… something deep, burning with an intense, steady flame, something very warm and bright.

He closed his eyes, afraid to witness her reaction. " _Yes_ ," he whispered the admission.

Neither of them moved. Karin took in his confession consideringly. Once again, she sensed the incredible cost of his statement. It must have been real, then, what she thought she'd dreamed last night. He _meant_ this. Somehow, in all their travels and the time since, she'd managed to fly like a kunai to the centre of his heart.

"Yes," she stated, making up her mind.

"What?" his eyes opened, once again meeting hers. He was confused. What did she mean, 'yes'? He hadn't asked anything.

"Yes, I'll marry you."

He stared at her, frozen, examining her face for any trace of dishonesty, prevarication, or other sign that this was some kind of cruel joke or ploy. There was none.

Once again, his energies flickered with reaction. The myriad emotions within him danced in his chakra, and then settled into an intense, building fire that rose to consume all else. He kissed her, fiercely, searing with relief and need. She returned the kiss, just as fiercely. Their hands met, clasped, and then broke to wander desperately over each other. Inevitably, their actions turned to lovemaking, culminating in them screaming each other's names out in the throes of passion. They continued for hours, whiling away the morning in each other's arms, talking and making love, until the passage of time and Karin's inability to continue further finally brought it to a stop.

"Oh shit, I need to get ready for the wedding, and go help Naruto," Gaara admitted, reluctantly, upon seeing the evil clock.

"Me too, I have to help Hinata, and Naruto-kun always parades me out at social occasions," she said. "Plus, I want to be there for their special day."

Gaara smirked. "Do I need to tell him no announcements during the party, or are we good?"

"We're good."

His smirk turned into a genuine smile.

They dressed in a hurry and shoveled down a quick bowl or two of rice from Karin's rice cooker, which had first dinged its completion yesterday morning just before she'd been unexpectedly whisked off for curse seal removal, and had been keeping rice warm ever since. They retrieved their intended wedding gifts – the vials of aphrodisiac fragrance from Karin and a very intricate gold figurine of Naruto and Hinata from Gaara, and made ready to get their asses to the wedding.

They left her apartment in a rush, Gaara slapping on his Kage hat as they closed the door. They almost ran into a formally-dressed Tenten – Karin's neighbour – on the way out. At Karin and Gaara's hasty greeting, Tenten did a double take, staring at Karin, and then Gaara, and then back and forth a few times, eyes wide.

"K-Kazekage-sama, Karin-chan!" the weapons-nin managed. Then, the weaponmaster remembered the secret pool that Kakashi had been circulating, and hoped that her savings would cover the loss as she figured out why her neighbour had been so damn _noisy_ last night and this morning.

"Afternoon, Tenten. We've got to get to the wedding." Karin smiled, as though there hadn't just been a bombshell dropped on the diminutive black-haired kunoichi.

"Me too," Tenten finally said.

If they garnered any strange looks at the sight of the Kazekage of Suna and Konoha's former wayward probationer, neither shinobi cared. They split up and found their way to Hinata and Naruto, off to do their wedding preparation duties. Gaara would be joining Kakashi and several of Naruto's other friends to assist in the traditional 'instruction of the husband in his duties', which was mostly raucous teasing and ribald jokes. Karin was performing much the same function for Hinata, along with Sakura and Hinata's other friends. Some time later, with Hinata and Naruto properly prepared, Gaara and Karin caught sight of each other and headed for the ceremony.

They arrived at the quickly-growing gathering at the Hokage rock, slightly out of breath. Karin was about to join the general crowd, when Gaara's hand on her arm gave her pause.

"No, come with me," he smiled. She went with him, slightly shocked at how the crowd just seemed to melt away as he ploughed through it, her in his wake. The shinobi community still remembered how dangerous the Kazekage could be and deferred more than a little to him.

Hurriedly, he slid into place with Temari and Kankurō, Karin at his side. Her presence certainly triggered some curious, speculative, and surprised gazes, and confusingly, a few faces of absolute elation and of utter dismay. He paid it no mind. He was too damn happy to care what other people thought. Not that he ever really _had_. Temari gave him a sly look. She had been wondering what kind of fallout he had experienced for _neglecting to tell his intended about their own upcoming nuptials_. However it had all gone down, it seemed that everything had turned out alright, because here was Karin, and the other kunoichi didn't look murderous.

Very shortly after, Naruto and Hinata were married beneath the Hokage stone, to the collective elation and joy of everyone assembled. As Karin and Gaara presented gifts to the happy couple, Naruto grinned at seeing them together and winked.

Later that evening, after many anecdotes and speeches in Naruto and Hinata's honour, and many bowls of sake and other drink, an elated Naruto rose, getting the attention of the assembled crowd, and declared that he had an announcement to make. Gaara's heart beat a little faster, and he squeezed Karin's hand under the table. He smirked slightly in anticipation. _Someone_ had managed to surreptitiously ensure there was a seat for her beside him at the table of important Suna allies. Most of the people at the table had already known about his intentions.

Naruto spoke, beaming. "Thank you everyone for coming to celebrate with me and Hinata! It's been such a great day! The only thing better than marrying my lovely kanai is the fact that we could share it with everyone here!" There was applause, some catcalls and laughter. Naruto continued. "There is one thing that makes my joy more complete, and I am very proud to be the bearer of the news to my beloved Konoha and our esteemed allies. Yesterday, the Kazekage and I had the pleasure of signing a marriage contract, promising the hand of our own precious Uzumaki Karin-chan to our good friend and ally, Sabaku no Gaara-san—." The rise of surprised exclamations as people looked over at Gaara and Karin and understood what her presence with him actually _meant_ , cut Naruto off for a moment.

The blond raised a hand for silence, and the din quieted somewhat. "Something like this can only strengthen our alliance, and contributed to continued good will between our two villages. I ask that you now all join me in a toast to their happy future and long life together!" Naruto grinned, the fox-whiskers of Kurama only contributing to the radiance. He raised his glass amidst the applause – somewhat more than Gaara had expected at the completely shocking announcement – and toasted. The whole gathering followed suite. Gaara smiled, still holding Karin's hand under the table.

"I'm going to have to stand up and say something," he told her, discretely. She nodded, distracted. Uzumaki? Her mother had died when she was young and she hadn't understood much, then. The impact of the name was still filtering through Karin. She was an _Uzumaki_?! That made Naruto more than just her soon-to-be-erstwhile Hokage. That made him a clan member – and _her_ the descendent of a particularly important bloodline. It was a weird thought.

Gaara stood, raising his hands to indicate his desire to speak, waiting as the assemblage quieted.

"Valued allies and friends, thank you for your kind wishes. This happy event would not have happened without the help of my esteemed colleague and greatest ally, Naruto-san, to whom I am humbled and gratified that he has decided to share our joy on his special day. My intended and I hope that many of you will choose to join us in Suna, after the next chūnin exams, to celebrate our happiness." Gaara had learned a thing or two about giving speeches over the last six years of being Kazekage. He gave a deep bow to the crowd, as applause and cheers echoed around them. He sat back down, sneaking her hand underneath the table once more.

"Chūnin exams?" She turned her head towards him, voice pitched to carry only to him. That was a little… _quick_. The exams were two months away.

"Seemed as good a time as any. Is the timing bad for you?" he replied in the same low voice.

"I guess it works," she remarked. "Are we going to have to start on a family right away?" She was still young enough that she wasn't sure she wanted to jump straight into motherhood.

"Not unless you want that. I…" he said, pausing. He gave a deep breath. "My father killed my mother in childbed. I will _not_ do this to you." His declaration was heartfelt, sincere. She nodded, relieved. "Though the council will demand an heir eventually, they know I can't keep Temari from the Nara forever."

She nodded again, relieved.

Temari's somewhat angry voice interrupted them both, from her seat beside Karin. "He'd better get his ass in gear and set the date, I can't believe my _otōto_ is getting married before _I am_! And we've been engaged for _years_! Lazy Nara!"

They started. They hadn't realized she'd heard their little conversation. Temari had keen senses. On the other side of Gaara, Kankurō laughed at his sister's indignant words, sake glass in hand.

Sometime later, after the dancing had begun, Karin and Gaara managed to slip away back to her apartment, using shinobi skill and subtlety to escape without too much trouble. Both of them were somewhat intoxicated from all the inescapable toasts. They fell into bed together, laughing, drunk as much with joy and desire for each other as with the sake.

* * *

At the party, Kakashi sauntered around, silently ensuring everyone in on the pool got – or paid – his or her due. He smirked as his old friend Iruka forked over the bills. "I don't know how in all the hells you knew the Kazekage was going to announce an engagement soon, let alone to a Konoha kunoichi," Iruka complained. Kakashi just smiled beneath his mask. "Did you use privileged information for this?"

At Iruka's demand Kakashi made a forestalling motion. "Now, Iruka. I wouldn't do that, it would be an abuse of my position," he said, sincerely. "I closed the books a full two weeks before Gaara's letter came to the council. We were just as shocked as everyone else here is now." He was _very_ sincere.

"Then how the _hell_ did you _know_?"

Kakashi, remembering the little interaction between Gaara and Karin at the Konoha gates that day when they had returned, gave an innocent little shrug. "Lucky guess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter surprised me. I never expected their emotional relationship to get this intense, but it seems Gaara was absolutely determined to fall for Karin and hit every one of my heart strings on the way down. Writing it was indescribably moving. I can just hope I did justice to the incredible emotive moment that I sensed in this.
> 
> At this point, I'm not even so sure I'm WRITING this, so much as tapping into some other universe and letting it speak to you through my words.


	16. Epilogue: I Do SO Love a Happy Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been a slice! Somehow, I managed to get over 90k out of what had to be the weirdest of crack pairings I've ever considered for this fandom. Thank you everyone who read this for making it this far! If you have a reaction, of course, I always love to read it.

Life in Suna had been a bit of an adjustment, but not one Karin couldn't handle. There'd been some culture shock which had passed quickly, and some annoyances with some of the local kunoichi who were incensed that their Kazekage hadn't picked one of their number, but on the whole things weren't too bad, after she'd kicked a few asses in. She'd made quick friends with Temari, and seemed to garner the respect of Gaara's old sensei, Baki. Kankurō was kind of like the big brother she never had, if said big brother was also a perverted joker.

At some point she'd even managed to discretely score an easy healing technique from one of the Suna medics – she never really got the chance to learn it back in Konoha, what with leaving for Suna nearly immediately after Naruto's wedding.

She didn't mind the heat, and the desert was indeed beautiful in its own way, as Temari had promised. And there was Gaara… who lit up her days _and_ nights, stopped and started her breath, and burned for her like a raging inferno.

The village adjusted to the news fairly rapidly, and the plans for the chūnin exams had been joined by the plans for Gaara's wedding to the redheaded Konoha girl. Her Uzumaki name had elevated her in the eyes of the council – though Karin never knew the shitstorm that had erupted over his initial announcement so many months ago. The time before the wedding _flew_ by.

At some point in those two months, a silent conspiracy of Baki, Temari, and Kankurō had arranged for the installation of better soundproofing on the Kazekage suites.

As the days before the chūnin exams rolled by, genin teams and visiting dignitaries trickled into the village. Among the stream of visitors was a carriage. Riding inside were a young husband and wife, who had a relatively quick trip over the mountains now that the passes were dried out. Thanks to the honour guard made up of Suna shinobi (complimentary, for this round trip), it was a very safe trip. Chan-Sook and Beong-Kyun marvelled at the different culture surrounding them, enjoying their little vacation extensively.

Iron-Lord Beong-Kyun managed to made a few good trade deals, including one with the Daimyō of Wind that would probably be very lucrative in the future, and one with the Kazekage, supplying iron in return for desert gold and preferential shinobi assignments in any potential missions for Danpung province.

Chan-Sook got some heavy shopping in, and was delighted to gossip with Karin and other notable village women, even if they sometimes needed a translator. At some point, the young woman asked Karin what her bride price had ended up being.

Karin had shrugged. "Just my stupid pride," she laughed. Chan-Sook had been confused, which had made Karin laugh harder. It wasn't exactly true – the marriage contract had included some juicy trade agreements in return for her hand. But that hadn't concerned Karin much.

Two weeks of chūnin exams went by, with all the energy, drama, and excitement that could be expected from an event featuring 99 hormonal adolescents trained in lethal force. It was a good exam. Only four genin died, and 10 were raised to chūnin.

The day of the wedding dawned clear and bright with the promise of heat, just like 95% of the days dawning in Suna. The other 5% were usually sandstorms.

Gaara donned his robes of state, with Naruto, Shikamaru, Kankurō, and Baki performing the traditional role of accompanying (and teasingly harassing) the groom. Karin was laughingly and lewdly given the traditional bride's instruction by Temari and her Konoha kunoichi friends as they prepared her for the ceremony. All the women's spirits were high as they dressed the bride in the required number of kimonos, finally covering her with a white uchikake. They powdered her face with rice powder, and assembled her cherry-red hair in a ridiculous tower of gold and painted ceramic ornaments. On went the white cap.

The sun beat down on a veritable rainbow of swaths of silk draped across Suna, spreading coolth and coloured light below. Karin took on that rainbow as she walked through the streets to the shrine, Naruto beside her. As her only living clan member, former Kage, and good friend, he was taking on the role of her 'father', a job he apparently relished. Naruto had had Kakashi to do this for him. Baki was doing the service for his former student.

Together, she and Gaara took their place kneeling at the altar. Both of them were grinning madly and feeling kind of light-headed – and definitely not from the heat. The hōshi pronounced the ritual words and did the obligatory waving about of the haraigushi. They took their three sips of the ritual sake, followed by Naruto and Baki, and the traditional exchange of cups between the 'fathers'. It was infeasible to circulate the same cups of sake for so many wedding guests, so academy students had been conscripted to go around giving all the attendees their sip.

Finally, the miko spoke the required words, and Gaara and Karin placed the offering to the Kami at the shrine. They bowed twice, they clapped two times, and bowed again. The hōshi declared the ceremony complete.

It was done. Karin and Gaara were now husband and wife, rising to the cheers and applause of all their friends, loved ones, honoured guests, and the village Gaara loved so dearly. That was the end of the mercifully short ceremony.

The celebration began with the usual serious speeches – led by Shikamaru, who took the place of a nakado. After that, it turned distinctly merry. Just short of drunken revelry, Gaara stood up, much as Naruto had, and cheerfully announced the upcoming wedding of his sister to Nara Shikamaru and toasted them. As he sat down to the applause and cheers, he wondered if this announcing the next wedding at the current thing was becoming a tradition.

The party wore on as dark fell, releasing Suna from the grasp of the sun and cooling down the revelers enough for a second wind of energy. As people got more boisterous, the new couple looked for a chance to slip away for somewhere a little more private for their _own_ celebration.

Before they disappeared off into the night, Gaara briefly halted Karin. "Go on ahead of me, I'll be right there. I have something I need to do, first." She nodded, heading for the Kazekage suites that had become her home over the last two and a half months.

At the edge of the crowd, the Amegakure genin sat, wondering why his sensei had received a missive requiring his presence at the chūnin exams, when he wasn't even _in_ them, and why he'd then been required to stick around for the Kazekage's wedding. Lost in his musings, it took him a few seconds to realize someone was standing in front of him.

He looked up and started at the sight of Suna's notorious Kazekage. The older shinobi looked at him, studying the terrified Amegakure genin in the light of the brightly coloured paper lanterns festooning the street.

Before the genin could ask what was going on or beg for mercy, the Kazekage spoke.

"Thank you," the terrifying Kazekage said, cryptically. Then he turned and strode off into the night, leaving the mystified genin behind to wonder in silence and give thanks for his continued survival.

Now that that was over with, Gaara left for his apartments with all speed. He didn't want to keep Karin waiting. He still had a marriage to consummate, after all.

The End.


End file.
